Browsing by Author "Thuok, Nao"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

Cambodia's Great Lake: How to Sustain its Ecological and Economic Diversity
(1996) Thuok, Nao; Ahmed, Mahfuzuddin; Nuov, Sam
"Cambodia's Great Lake is one of the most productive freshwater lake in the world. Located in center of the country's north-west plains, its 3,000 km2 waters expand to more than 6,000 km2 area inside the inundated forests, draining about 67,000 km basin area and feeding the Mekong river's flood water through the Tonle Sap river. The inundated forest that surrounds the lake in a diverse ecosystem consisting of hundreds of plant species and wildlife More than 280 different species of fish utilize this forest for at least 6 months for breeding, nursing and feeding during the monsoonal inundation The six provinces that surround the lake have a population of nearly 3 million people (about 30% of the country's total population). About one third of this population live on floating villages around the lake and within the inundated forests. Fishing and foraging for wood and wildlife,combined with occasional fanning form the principal basis of livelihood of the people. Due to the effects of massive over exploitation of the fisheries and destructive practices in the inundated forests, the resources and their diversities are declining, causing an imbalance in the ecological and economic system. The paper describes current management regime, and identifies the factors that have led the current regulatory management through control and enforcement to become ineffective. Likewise, factors responsible for the current lack of incentive to protect and conserve resources of the lake by its current users have been discussed. The effect of continuing destruction of watershed forests and waste disposal, such as, increasing rate of siltation has been identified as a major threat to the lake ecosystem and its diverse plant and wildlife population. The paper recommends for a more equitable fishing rights distribution and development of partnerships between government authorities and the local fanning and fishing communities as an alternative management option."
Community Fish Refuges in Cambodia: Lesson Learned
(2012) Jore, Olivier; Kosal, Mam; Kure, Yumiko; Sereywath, Pick; Thuok, Nao
"Cambodia's wetlands cover over 30 percent of the country’s land area and support one of the largest, most diverse and intensive freshwater fisheries in the world. In the flood season (July-February), the flood waters from the Mekong River and Tonle Sap Lake catchments create a vast open water system on Cambodia’s lowlands. During this period, inundated rice fields become open access fishing grounds for local villagers and migrant fishers. Fishing in rice fields and floodplain systems takes place throughout the flood season, but the peak season is when water is receding (from November to February). Rice field fisheries are estimated to contribute up to 28% of the wild capture fisheries in Cambodia. Rice field fisheries are seen as a promising sub-sector to increase fish catches and meet the domestic demand for food. Despite its importance in Cambodia’s rural livelihoods, this complex system of rice field fisheries has not been a focus of detailed research or NGO projects until recently, with the advent of the Community Fish Refuge (CFR) approach. A Community Fish Refuge (CFR) is a form of stock enhancement or a fish conservation measure that is intended to improve the productivity of rice field fisheries. The idea behind refuge ponds is to create dry season refuges or sanctuaries for brood fish in seasonally inundated rice fields. Refuge ponds can be man-made ponds or natural ponds that can hold water throughout the year. During the dry season, these refuge ponds become disconnected from permanent natural water bodies."
Inland Fishery Management in Cambodia: Is the Fishing Lot System the Basis for Improved Management or Should It Be Abolished?
(1998) Degen, Peter; Thuok, Nao
"The present freshwater capture fisheries management of Cambodia is thought to be 'one of the most developed and extended systems of fisheries regulation found in the world' (IMC 1992: A5-42). It comprises regulations on large scale fishing operations in well defined 'fishing lots', and middle scale operations, which need official licenses handed out by the DoF, and the so-called family fisheries with minor gears which can be operated in all water bodies at every time, unless being subject to legally restricted areas. Threats to and pressures on fish stocks are increasing in the same way as conflicts increase between the relevant actors (Ahmed et al.1998:). For social peace' sake a long-term fishery resources availability providing food security, income generation, and employment has to be addressed within the context of an improved fisheries management structure. "This paper originates within a project context of international fisheries development cooperation, in which a regional organization provides advice to the fisheries authorities of the Cambodian Government on training staff in fishing related research, setting up data bases and developing options for sustainable freshwater capture fisheries management. The basis of data actually available allows only for some initial insights into these organizational systems and management practices. After more than a quarter of a century of civil war, in which most of historical documentation disappeared, and no research had been done, Government staff has to be trained in order to conduct research on relevant issues for fisheries management, meaning that every kind of data collection is virtually a pioneering work. "The process of gradually deepening insights also allows for gradually improving the operationalization of research questions that provide a clearer picture of the essentials for fisheries management. This paper tries to contribute to this process of refining research questions, clearing concepts and definitions needed for designing feasible options for fisheries management, that fit the very specific environmental, cultural and institutional-political conditions of Cambodia."
Taken for Granted: Conflicts over Cambodia's Freshwater Fish Resources
(2000) Degen, Peter; Van Acker, Frank; van Zalinge, Nicolaas; Thuok, Nao; Vuthy, Ly
"Cambodia ranks fourth among the world's top freshwater capture fisheries with an annual production of 300,000 400,000 t. Fish is an important part of food security in the country, especially for the rural poor. A household survey (1995/6) representative of 4.2 million people in central Cambodia found an average fish consumption rate of 67 kg/capita/year. "For about a decade, Cambodia has also been undergoing a period of rapid institutional transition from a communist to a capitalist economic regime. The backdrop to this transition is the government's professed ambition to create an equitable rural development. Nevertheless, after a period of 15 years during which access to fishing grounds was governed by collective schemes, an auction system determining exclusive use rights for two years was reintroduced to govern access to the most productive parts of the Cambodian fisheries domain, the fishing lots. Many of these lots consist of large areas of floodplain containing flood forest habitats essential for feeding and breeding of many species. Each lot has a 'burden book' which contains the specific management program indicating timing and spatial arrangements of the fishing operation. "Outside the fishing lots, the so-called open-access areas, are under increasing pressure from people in search of a livelihood. Almost 95% of the people in Cambodia survive from agriculture and fisheries, and population growth outpaces the growth of job-creation outside of the agricultural sector. The elementary needs of a growing rural population in conjunction with the absence of well-functioning regulatory institutions have resulted in falling fish catch rates per unit of effort and increased conflicts over and with fishing rights. "Rural households depending on the fishery for livelihood and subsistence have been losing out at the expense of politically and economically more powerful users (often using weapons to assert their interests). In the long term, a badly managed fishery engaging an increasing number of users that seeks short-term benefits, will negatively affect the recruitment capacity of fish stocks and enhance income and wealth disparities in Cambodia's rural areas. "The strategy being developed to provide solutions to these conflicts and stop the decline in fish catches, aims at environmental sensitization of resource users and broadening participation in the management of fishery habitats. The 'community' in its traditional sense as a spatially small, socially homogeneous, and normative unit seems to be too limited as an institutional framework for addressing fisheries co-management. The 'community of users (co- managers)' comprising strategic actors such as lot concessionaires, national and local authorities, military and militia groups, and small scale fishers, is interacting in a dynamic way frequently bypassing the limitations of formal institutions, and creating de facto new institutions to fulfil their interests. "With these considerations in mind, a process of enhancing transparency and communication oriented towards the needs of protecting critical fishing habitats is proposed to lead to a stronger and more focussed institutional framework allowing for broader participation of local users in protecting habitats and benefiting from its yields."
Where There is Water, There is Fish? Fisheries Issues in the Lower Mekong Basin from a Cambodian Perspective
(1998) van Zalinge, Nicolaas; Thuok, Nao; Tana, Touch Seang
"The fishery situation in the lower Mekong basin can still be charcterized by the Cambodian proverb mijin tak, mijin trey (where there is water, there is fish). Maintaining this situation depends on the kinds of development that will take place, and more significantly on the awareness of decision makers about the importance of fisheries for the food security in the region and the (potential) threats to fisheries posed by the ongoing environmental degradation and infrastructure developments. The paper examines the extent of knowledge on the fish population in the region, which is severely limited by inadequate or no data collection at all, and its utilization. The different types of fisheries, such as ricefield, artisanal, medium and large scale, and their interactions are discussed with a view to their management. The contribution of these fisheries to the economy in general and to food security in particular is discussed. Then the reasons for the particularly high fish productivity in Cambodia are set out with respect to the biological processes involved and the rich diversity in fish species. Management challenges posed by environmental degradation and water resources development are discussed. Given its recent history, little focused fishery research has been carried out in the region to support water resources management and fisheries at national and regional levels, with the exception of Thailand. Recently though, capacity building and information gathering has been increasing. As the relevant parts of the Mekong River system and its resources are considered national assets by the riparian countries, there is a clear need for regional dialoogue and cooperation; organization mechanisms such as the Mekong River Agreement signed by Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam were set up. This agreement provided the Mekong River Commission with a new mandate."