Two river fishermen casting nets in Mekong (photo)

The Mekong is a river in Southeast Asia. It is the world's 12th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 4,350 km (2,703 mi). The river is a major trading route linking China’s southwestern province of Yunnan to Laos, Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand to the south. Aquatic biodiversity in the Mekong river system is the second highest in the world after the Amazon. The river boasts the most concentrated biodiversity per hectare of any river. People living within the Mekong river system generate many other sources of food and income from what are often termed ‘other aquatic animals’ (OAAs) such as freshwater crabs, shrimp, snakes, turtles, and frogs