Cambodian government officials said that they are looking forward with great hope that the ban in selected provinces will improve Kingdom’s fish stocks next year. According to the fisheries administration the end of the fishing season and a four-month ban on commercial fishing to allow fish stocks time to replenish. Nao Thouk, director of the Fisheries Administration, informed that the closure takes place because from Monday onwards, about 90 percent of fish start breeding.
Thouk also said that they will end-scale fishing and will only allow small-scale subsistence fishing so that families are able to eat. It is told that the fishing season ends Monday for provinces located north of Chaktomuk river, including Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Battambang, Preah Vihear, Kratie and Stung Treng. Provinces located south of Chaktomuk, including Kandal and Takeo, will have to stop commercial fishing from July 1.
Tat El, chief of Koh Dach commune in Kandal province, comments that fishing has already been scaled back due to a lack of fish this season. Nao Thouk said that there will be an increase in fish yield – possibly up to 400,000 tonnes, from 370,000 last year – when fishing restarted after the ban. He further said that early fish breeding can boost the number of baby fish. He told that the rise to a zealous crackdown on illegal fishing last year, which saw his administration take action against some 1,000 instances of abuse.
Record shows that Cambodia has exported approximately 30,000-40,000 tonnes of fish last year. Na Thouk mentioned that this year they expect an increase in fish yield and so the export.
