Tonle Sap Fish Harvest Rises, Official says

Khmer Times/Sok Chan

 

Tuesday, 05 January 2016

 

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The volume of fish caught to make prahok (fermented fish paste) in the first season on the Tonle Sap Lake and River rose because weather conditions were ideal, but the amount expected for the second season, which begins in February, is likely to be lower due to falling water levels, a senior official from the Fisheries Administration said.

Its director, Eng Chea San, said that 9,000 tons of fish were harvested for prahok on the lake and river during the nine-day season that began on December 24. He said the volume was higher than that harvested during the year-ago period but did not have the figure at hand. 

Mr. San said catches at fishing lots upstream and in the lake and river were as high as three to six tons per hour at some fishing lots. Catches ranged from 300 to 600 kilograms per hour at lots near Phnom Penh, where the river merges with the Mekong. 

He had low expectations for the second fishing season on the Tonle Sap, saying that the water levels would be very low. 

When asked about the inland fishing industry in general, Mr. Chea San said last year’s catch was “enough to supply the country.” In 2014, about 700,000 tons of fish were harvested nationwide, of which about 400,000 tons were exported, according to official figures. Fish produced from aquaculture accounted for about 12 percent of the total catch, the Fishery Administration said.