The giant pangasius, paroon shark, pangasid-catfish[1] or Chao Phraya giant catfish (Pangasius sanitwongsei) is a species of freshwater fish in the shark catfish family (Pangasiidae) of order Siluriformes, found in the Chao Phraya and Mekong basins in Indochina.

[1] The specific name sanitwongsei was chosen by H.M. Smith to honor M. R. Suwaphan Sanitwong (Thai: ม.ร.ว.สุวพรรณ สนิทวงศ์) for his support of fisheries in Thailand.

[2] The species is native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya rivers that run through China, Cambodia, Thailand, Viet Nam, and the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

[8] The giant pangasius is a ray-finned fish part of the family Pangasiidae commonly known as shark catfishes.

Its dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins are dark gray and the first soft ray is extended into a filament.

[4] Full-grown adults can reach 300 centimetres (9.8 ft) SL in length and weigh up to 300 kg (660 lb).

[12] It is believed that the P. sanitwongsei prey on shrimp, crabs, and fish and hideout in deep areas in rivers.

Many fishing villages rely on the organisms that reside in the river to provide food for their family as well as a source of income as they can sell them at markets.

This introduced species in South African rivers can also be a case of release from aquariums once they could no longer be contained due to their high energy need and large size.

[22] Even though the bodies of water are interconnected these fish are not capable of swimming through walls to get to their natural breeding sites.

[6] Even though these fish are grown in a safe fishery, this can reduce the genetic diversity between them making them more susceptible to disease as well as environmental stress.

To control the amount of overharvesting (via fishing) that occurs certain size and catch limits can be put in place.

In 1989, the Paroon shark was listed as a class II protected species by the government of Yunnan, China.

[8] The issue is that the habitat of this species lies in multiple countries' domains including Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

There are some groups in the Asian continent who have been trying to protect and conserve the wildlife in these regions including the Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP), Species Survival Commission (SSC), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).