A 100-kilogram Siamese giant carp that had been caught in a fisherman’s gill net was freed and released into the Tonle Sap lake by Fisheries Administration officials on Tuesday.

Yon Kunthea, a 36-year-old fisherman from Pursat province’s Krakor district, had sailed across the lake to set his fishing net in a more shallow area where smaller fish are typically found.

“I was collecting the fishing net to retrieve the small fish, but I saw a huge tear in the fishing net,” he said. “When I lifted it, I saw a huge Siamese giant carp trapped in it. At that time, I was overwhelmed because it was huge, and I have never experienced that before,” he said, adding that he promptly called the authorities to inspect and free the huge carp.

“The Siamese giant carp is a rare and endangered freshwater species. We are happy that the fisherman has a good understanding of the benefits of this rare species and is actively collaborating [with us] to preserve it,” Song Ly, a Fisheries Administration official in Pursat province, said.

Believed to have been washed into the net by strong currents exacerbated by floods in the past few weeks, the fish was released into a deeper part of the lake, Ly said.