Vietnam needs to make its fishing practices more sustainable

Sustainability Times — Vietnam was issued a yellow card in October 2017 by the European Commission (EC) because of rampant illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities by Vietnamese fishermen and fishing vessels. Since then, following its carding system, the EC have conducted several reviews of Vietnam’s fisheries and seafood-related policies and efforts to determine Read More…

Villagers Worried About Premature Construction on Laos’ Luang…

Radio Free Asia — Villagers living near the site of a planned large-scale Mekong River dam near the former royal capital of Laos say they are worried because the government has already begun construction on the project before its international approval process is complete, they told RFA. The 1,460 megawatt, U.S. $3 billion Luang Prabang dam will displace 581 families or 2,285 people and Read More…

New platform aims to reveal dam and climate impacts on the Mekong

Eco-Business — A new monitoring platform that uses satellite imagery to track dam reservoir levels on the Mekong can shed light on the contentious issue of how the river’s precious water is stored, and the effects of climate change. The disruption to water and sediment flows along the river resulting from the proliferation of dams “is causing the Mekong to die a death of a thousand Read More…

Study follows tagged migratory fish in Mekong

Khmer Times — NGO Wonders of the Mekong has released preliminary data on the movement patterns of wild Mekong catfish after 20 fish were surgically implanted with acoustic tags and released into the Mekong River in 2006. The Mekong River has the world’s third most diverse fish population in the world after the Amazon and Congo River basins, Wonders of the Mekong project manager Chea Read More…

Are Cambodia’s freshwater fish in trouble?

Khmer Times — Destructive fishing and hydropower dams on free flowing rivers are two main reasons for the extinction of some freshwater fish in Cambodia including the Giant Barb and Isok, a report by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) revealed on Wednesday. In addition to the two causes, the report highlights overfishing, habitat destruction, over abstraction of water for irrigation and Read More…

Japanese gov’t helps fund Mekong forecasting system

Khmer Times — The Japanese government granted $2.9 million to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to help  implement its strategic plan to promote responsible development in the region. “The new funding gets right to the heart of the challenges our region faces and will be facing in the future,” said An Pich Hatda, MRC Secretariat chief executive officer. The new strategic plan, set to Read More…

Chinese dams not to blame for low Mekong water levels: report

Khmer Times — While its own people in Texas are in dire straits amid an electricity-related crisis, the US has turned its attention to the Mekong water resource issue, while turning a blind eye to China’s efforts to resolve the problems. Ned Price, US State Department spokesperson, raised “concerns over the dropping water levels of the Mekong River,” in a tweet on February 23, after Read More…

There’s no big fish anymore, says Mekong fisherman

The Star — Fisherman Tin Yusos tucks into a meal of the previous day’s catch with his family aboard a boat which doubles as their home by the banks of the Tonle Sap River. They plan to set out for another day of fishing in the area of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers, though his expectations are low. “There are no big fish anymore, ” said Tin Yusos, 57. In the past, he could Read More…

Cambodia’s Dwindling Fish Stocks Put Spotlight On Changing Rivers

Channel News Asia — Cambodian fisherman Tin Yusos tucks into a meal of the previous day’s catch with his wife and granddaughter aboard a boat which doubles as their home moored by the banks of the Tonle Sap River. They plan to set out for another day of fishing in the area of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers, though his expectations are low. “There are no big fish anymore,” said Tin Read More…

Report Stresses Perils Of ‘Forgotten Fish’

Phnom Penh Post — Sixteen global conservation organisations around the world have found that one in three of the world’s least-regarded freshwater fishes are threatened with extinction. And while many of Cambodia’s freshwater fish are banned for expert, they still end up being trafficked to other countries. The findings were presented by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Cambodia on Read More…