A name in central Thailand for fishwort. A green leafy plant with a slightly fishy smell used in China, Japan, Korea and South East Asia. The roots may also be used and the plant is also used for medicinal purposes.
"Lotus fish." Boalla. A type of carp well known in the Himalayas up as far as Sikkim and Assam where they grow to almost a meter in length. They come down the tributaries to spawn in the Mekong in July and August, when they are vulnerable to fisherman.
The snakehead murrel. Generally bought live. It can grow up to a meter in length (Over 3 ft). It is an important food fish in its native range and is of considerable economic importance. Adults are dark brown in colour with faint black bands visible across its entire body. Males and female both help to construct a nest out of water vegetation during breeding time. Eggs are guarded by both parents. Fry are orangish red and guarded by both parents until they turned greenish brown at around 5-6 cm. It is common in freshwater plains, where it migrates from rivers and lakes into flooded fields, returning to the permanent water bodies in the dry season, where it survives by burrowing in the mud.
Featherback. A thin, silver fish with a marked row of dark spots running parallel to the anal fin. This is quite a bony fish but often pounded or scraped clean of the bones.
Wallago. A catfish of the family of sheatfishes, the Siluridae. It can reach 240 cm (8 ft) in length and is found from Bangladesh to Vietnam and Afghanistan. This aggressive fish is quite feared in some river areas. It is not uncommon to find large fish or frogs in their stomachs.
Featherback. A thin, silver fish with a marked row of dark spots running parallel to the anal fin. This is quite a bony fish but often pounded or scraped clean of the bones.
