In the dry season, dogs would bark at the sound of
hundreds of pa soi (Henicorhynchus sp.) migrating
upstream. To catch enough for a small jar of
fermented fish, a fisherman with a boat did not need
any gear – he simply splashed the water with a
paddle and the fish jumped into the boat. Big fish of
up to 80 kg were also found 30 to 40 years ago.
Fishermen from Ban Hat, Hatxaykhoun and Don
Houat reported finding Mekong freshwater stingrays
(Himantura chaophraya, known locally as pa fa lai)
including many specimens more than 100 kg, Jullien's
barbs (Probarbus jullieni, or pa eun) and small-scale
croakers (Boesemania microlepis, or pa kuang).