Largest salmon in the world edges toward extinction 19 October
2012 | News story An international team of scientists have
released assessment reports on the precarious status of a group
of Asian salmon, taimen, which are recognized as the largest
species of salmon in the world. The reports conclude that all
species of taimen are now listed as threatened or Data Deficient
on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, and point to a host
of ongoing and emerging threats, including habitat loss and
over- harvest. The reports warn that if key conservation actions
are not taken, the species will be steadily pushed toward
extinction. Five species of taimen exist in Asia, and they are
thought to represent the evolutionary branch that gave rise to
modern day trout and salmon. Taimen have been observed to reach
sizes over two meters in length and can live over 30 years.
Perhaps the best known among them is Hucho taimen, known by its
common name Siberian or Mongolian Taimen. The species is coveted
for sport fishing aroun