While Cambodia’s Tonle Sap River is an extraordinary source of fish and provides livelihoods and sustenance for Cambodia’s rural poor, human population growth and fish consumption is threatening the overall supply of fish.PHNOM PENH, 22 August 2008 (IRIN) - Each year, between July and October, Cambodia's Tonle Sap river, swollen by monsoon rain and excess flow from the nearby Mekong River, reverses its course. As water pours back into Cambodia's Great Lake, swelling its size by over four times, the flood-plain is transformed into a vast breeding ground for over 250 species of fish - a vital source of livelihoods and sustenance for Cambodia's rural poor.
But population growth and economic development in the Mekong basin are threatening fish resources, according to scientists, who say the country's food security could be hanging in the balance.
"This is one of the most intensely fished freshwater areas in the world," said Eric Baran, a research scientist at the World Fish Center, an international fisheries research institute. "The 2.6 million tonnes of fish caught annually in the Mekong basin represent seven times more than the catches of the North American inland fisheries sector and more than 10 times the entire [inland] fish catch in Australia."
But population growth and increased fish consumption is straining Great Lake's fish resources. "Between 1940 and 1995, fish production increased twofold, but population increased threefold," he said.
"We are close to a maximum level of production, but the population keeps growing," Baran said.So Nam, deputy director of the Cambodian government's Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute, told IRIN: "Population growth is the main concern. Although the catch is now 400,000 tonnes per year," he said, "most of the [fish] are small sized."
The trend to smaller fish was also observed in River At Risk, a 2004 report by Milton Osborne, [] who noted the "regular complaints from [Great Lake] fishers about the difficulty of catching their desired quantities of fish."
Cambodia's heavy reliance on freshwater fish as a source of protein makes it particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in production, said Baran.
"[Cambodia] is a country where fish production is three times pig production and 20 times chicken production. If it loses fisheries, the agriculture sector will not be able to catch up," he said.
Illegal fishing
A rise in illegal fishing due to collaboration between outlaw anglers and local officials, is also a growing problem. Nao Thuok, director of the Cambodian Fisheries Administration, said the law was difficult to enforce in a country as reliant on fish as Cambodia. "Families can fish year round," he said. "But the [2006] Fisheries Law only enables them to use small-scale fishing gear. The problem is that families complain they cannot survive and are using larger gear in the spawning season."
To combat illegal fishing and encourage the long-term sustainability of Cambodia's freshwater fisheries, the government has devolved decision-making powers and enforcement to the local level.
Education, capacity building
According to So Nam, the central Fisheries Administration is focusing its efforts on educating fishermen about the challenges of sustainable development. "Education is very important. One of the aims is to strengthen the community by building the capacity of the community, teaching people to do their management, their conservation and their planning," So Nam told IRIN.
Over 500 "community fisheries" have been established so far throughout the kingdom, which act as focal points for law enforcement, conservation and the adoption of new fish cultivation methods, including aquaculture, according to So Nam.
Importance of accurate information
Generating accurate information for decision-makers is critical, according to Baran. The World Fish Center is experimenting with computer modelling to predict variations in fish levels and guide policy decisions relating to fisheries. One such model, known as BayFish, is bringing together all of the complex variables that impact fisheries - including flood levels, water oxygen levels and rainfall - enabling scientists to predict how changes in one variable will effect overall fish levels. "But it's a work in progress," said Baran.
"Our raison d'être is to produce scientific information on fisheries. That's the way to help national governments make informed decisions, he said. Having this scientific information integrated in national and regional policies would be a significant step forward."
But population growth and economic development in the Mekong basin are threatening fish resources, according to scientists, who say the country's food security could be hanging in the balance.
"This is one of the most intensely fished freshwater areas in the world," said Eric Baran, a research scientist at the World Fish Center, an international fisheries research institute. "The 2.6 million tonnes of fish caught annually in the Mekong basin represent seven times more than the catches of the North American inland fisheries sector and more than 10 times the entire [inland] fish catch in Australia."
But population growth and increased fish consumption is straining Great Lake's fish resources. "Between 1940 and 1995, fish production increased twofold, but population increased threefold," he said.
"We are close to a maximum level of production, but the population keeps growing," Baran said.So Nam, deputy director of the Cambodian government's Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute, told IRIN: "Population growth is the main concern. Although the catch is now 400,000 tonnes per year," he said, "most of the [fish] are small sized."
The trend to smaller fish was also observed in River At Risk, a 2004 report by Milton Osborne, [] who noted the "regular complaints from [Great Lake] fishers about the difficulty of catching their desired quantities of fish."
Cambodia's heavy reliance on freshwater fish as a source of protein makes it particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in production, said Baran.
"[Cambodia] is a country where fish production is three times pig production and 20 times chicken production. If it loses fisheries, the agriculture sector will not be able to catch up," he said.
Illegal fishing
A rise in illegal fishing due to collaboration between outlaw anglers and local officials, is also a growing problem. Nao Thuok, director of the Cambodian Fisheries Administration, said the law was difficult to enforce in a country as reliant on fish as Cambodia. "Families can fish year round," he said. "But the [2006] Fisheries Law only enables them to use small-scale fishing gear. The problem is that families complain they cannot survive and are using larger gear in the spawning season."
To combat illegal fishing and encourage the long-term sustainability of Cambodia's freshwater fisheries, the government has devolved decision-making powers and enforcement to the local level.
Education, capacity building
According to So Nam, the central Fisheries Administration is focusing its efforts on educating fishermen about the challenges of sustainable development. "Education is very important. One of the aims is to strengthen the community by building the capacity of the community, teaching people to do their management, their conservation and their planning," So Nam told IRIN.
Over 500 "community fisheries" have been established so far throughout the kingdom, which act as focal points for law enforcement, conservation and the adoption of new fish cultivation methods, including aquaculture, according to So Nam.
Importance of accurate information
Generating accurate information for decision-makers is critical, according to Baran. The World Fish Center is experimenting with computer modelling to predict variations in fish levels and guide policy decisions relating to fisheries. One such model, known as BayFish, is bringing together all of the complex variables that impact fisheries - including flood levels, water oxygen levels and rainfall - enabling scientists to predict how changes in one variable will effect overall fish levels. "But it's a work in progress," said Baran.
"Our raison d'être is to produce scientific information on fisheries. That's the way to help national governments make informed decisions, he said. Having this scientific information integrated in national and regional policies would be a significant step forward."
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