Tonle Sap Lake fisheries a concern for dam project

Phnom Penh Post 20 March 2014 Already under attack by overfishing, pollution and deforestation, Tonle Sap Lake fisheries face an even bigger threat in the form of hydropower dams, according to experts. Laos’ planned Don Sahong Hydropower Project in particular has environmentalists fearing an emptier, less bio-diverse lake, and a nation pitched into protein shortages. “[The Don Read More…

Garbage becomes the most serious environmental problem

New Straits Times 20 March 2014 Garbage becomes the most serious environmental problem in Thailand due to improper disposal, especially industrial and infectious wastes, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported. Director-General of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's Pollution Control Department, Wichien Jungrungruang on Wednesday said that industrial wastes in Thailand now amount to Read More…

Cambodia’s floating villages face uncertain future

Taipei Times 4 March 2014 Cambodia’s floating villages have adapted to the ebb and flow of Southeast Asia’s largest lake for generations, but modernization and a scarcity of fish are now threatening their traditional way of life. Houses, schools, hairdressers and even dentists — entire communities bob around on the Tonle Sap, whose waters rise and fall dramatically with the Read More…

Fishing surveys complete

Fresh roasted fish and sticky rice accompanied conversations about fish populations and community fisheries management at a lunch celebrating the close of the Mekong Fish Network’s first participatory fisher survey program in Lao PDR. FISHBIO conducted this pilot study with a grant from the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, and facilitation help from the Sang Thong District Read More…

Conservation groups launch Global Freshwater Fish BioBlitz, inviting…

GlobeNewswire 31 January 2014 The 'Global Freshwater Fish BioBlitz' kicks off on World Wetlands Day to engage nature lovers in freshwater fish conservation. The Freshwater Fish Specialist Group (FFSG), of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Wetlands International, has joined forces with other international groups, namely World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, Read More…

Murder suspected revenge for fishing reports

The Cambodia Daily 4 February 2014 Suon Chan, 44, who worked for the little-known and infrequently published Meakea newspaper, died from his injuries after he was attacked by two men with bamboo poles on Friday night in Kompong Chhnang province’s Cholkiri district, his employer said Monday. Sieng Seng, who published Meakea infrequently, said that Suon Chan was likely the target of the Read More…

Tiny fish makes big comeback in Oregon

The Wall Street Journal 4 February 2014 The Oregon chub made history Tuesday, as the minnow became the first fish proposed for removal from the federal endangered-species list thanks to its recovery. "This is a huge compliment to Oregonians and our history of conservation leadership," said Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat. "I'm proud that the first fish species proposed to be delisted under Read More…

WWF honours Bolivia for designation of world’s largest protected…

WWF 3 February 2014 Global conservation organization WWF has recognized the Bolivian government’s commitment to nature conservation for designating a 6.9 million-hectare area of protected wetlands in the Llanos de Moxos (Moxos Plains), a tropical ecoregion of northern Bolivia in the lowlands of the Amazon basin, with a WWF Gift to the Earth Award. Under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Read More…

Trust to help endangered fish species

Otago Daily Times 1 February 2014 A newly-formed trust says it hopes to achieve ''on-the-ground conservation gains'' for some of New Zealand's most endangered freshwater fish - some of the rarest of which can only be found in Otago. The Working Waters Trust was set up with the aim of raising the profile of endangered fish and there would be a particular focus on the country's most Read More…

Bloomberg project aims to end overfishing in Brazil, Philippines and…

The Fish Site 31 January 2014 Bloomberg Philanthropies has launched the Vibrant Oceans initiative, a commitment of $53 million over five years to promote reforms to boost fish populations in Brazil, the Philippines and Chile. Currently, over-fishing and destruction of important marine areas are threatening the global supply of fish. Reforming fishing practices in these countries will Read More…