Wednesday December 21, 2022
Khmer Times —
Over-exploitation of natural resources often leads to ecological and sustainability issues and it’s no different in the case of Cambodia, where the government has initiated several measures to protect its fishery sector and other marine resources. Over 25 percent of the world’s fish stocks are estimated to be depleted or overexploited.
“Over-fishing and climate change negatively impact fish stock and the fisheries community by affecting species diversity and catch, lead to the destruction of fish habitat, impacting income of fishermen and their socio-economics,” IM Rachana, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), told Khmer Times.
While fishing in rivers and lakes makes for the lion’s share, especially around the Tonle Sap Lake, marine fisheries account for 13 percent of the country’s fish catches. Over 6 million people are reportedly involved in the fishery. Of these, 10.5 percent consider fishing as the primary occupation, and 35 percent as a secondary occupation.