Local fisheries officials recalled to Phnom Penh two months ago for “retraining” have returned to their provincial jobs to fight illegal fishing during the upcoming spawning season, Department of Fisheries Deputy Director Sam Nov said.
More than 500 patrol officials, recently educated on new regulations, new laws and community fishing management, will work with military policemen to enforce a ban on fishing scheduled to begin Friday and last through the end of September, he said.
Patrolmen will focus on the hard-to-protect baby catfish, which have not yet been overfished but are much sought after because of the high prices buyers from Vietnam pay, said another fisheries official.
Patrols were halted in February when officers were called to the capital for retraining following Prime Minister Hun Sen’s orders to overhaul drastically the fishing lot system. In October, the premier fired the head of the Fisheries Department and ordered more than 500,000 hectares of fishing lots be returned to the public for subsistence fishing.
But in April, lawmakers representing fishing areas complained that fishermen were using illegal equipment, overfishing, fishing in prohibited areas and using batteries to electrocute fish.
“Now our fisheries officials are ready to crack down on illegal fishing,” said Pursat provincial Department of Agriculture Director Tith Sam Oeun.
Touch Seang Tana, a fisheries specialist at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said some man-made bamboo blockages of rivers, streams and creeks could prevent fish from migrating to their Tonle Sap spawning grounds. He said fishermen have recently increased their use of bamboo traps in the country’s fishing areas.
Touch Seang Tana also said the fishing ban should be five months instead of four, lasting from May to September and giving fish more time to spawn.
“Fishing lot owners will catch as much as they can in order to make a profit,” he said. “If there is a long fishing period, all fish would be caught since the fishing equipment is so modern.”
