Thursday January 4, 2024
Khmer Times —
There were 2,796 freshwater fishery crimes registered in 2023, up 18 from the 2,778 occurrences in 2022.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s spokeswoman, Im Rachna, said yesterday that the Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture worked with the relevant authorities to tackle 2,796 cases of illegal fishing gear in 2023. In addition, 2,673 cases – a 1% increase from 2022 – saw the confiscation and destruction of illegal gear.
In 2022, the Fisheries Administration cracked down on 2,778 cases, confiscated illegal fishing gear in 2,560 cases and sent 122 people to court, 61 of whom were jailed.
The authorities also compounded 90 cases issuing fines amounting to $75,000.
Rachna also stated that while the authorities cracked down on 177 incidents of marine fisheries crimes in 2022, they worked with the Fisheries Administration to crack down on 197 cases in 2023, an increase of 20 cases.