This presentation was given by Rous Chanthy at the October 2018 workshop "Needs, Techniques, and Risk Assessment: Toward a Vision for Management and Conservation of Migratory Fish Species in Cambodia" held in Phnom Penh. It describes the development of a transboundary fisheries management plan for freshwater fishes in the Mekong Basin between Cambodia and Lao PDR.

1. Swimway Management Plan:
Lessons Learnt From MRC’s
Transboundary Fisheries
Management Between
Cambodia and Lao
Mr. Rous Chanthy
“Toward a Vision for
Management and Conservation of
Migratory Fish Species in Cambodia”
Hotel Cambodiana, 17-18 October 2018

2. Content
• Project Background (Introduction, Objective, Outcome)
• Transboundary Fisheries Issues
• The Fisheries To Be Managed Under The Plan
• Target Five species (select)
• Transboundary Fisheries Management Plan (Goal,
Objective, Measurement, Communication, Monitor,
Evaluation)
• Conclusion

3. Project Background
• Project began in June 2014.
• Implemented under the Mekong Integrated Water Resources Management
Programme (M-IWRMP). Funded by WB.
• The overall objective of this Project is: “Fisheries management improved in
the bordering provinces of Stung Treng and Kratie in Cambodia and
Champasak and Attapeu in Lao PDR”.
• To achieve this objective, the project aims to achieve three main outcomes:
• Outcome 1: Development of a joint paper to identify common issues/
challenges, information and data sharing needs, and coordination requirements
related to transboundary management.
• Outcome 2: Development of an agreed Joint Coordination Mechanism to
address transboundary management and coordination needs.
• Outcome 3: Development of a Joint Action (Management) Plan to implement
priority coordination and management activities.

4. • Target provinces
Champassak
Champassak

5. Transboundary fisheries Issues
There are issues in transboundary fisheries management
as follow:
• Declining fish biomass (catch rates)
• Increasing (excessive) fishing effort (too many
fisherman)
• Weak/ineffective law enforcement
• Capture of undersized/immature fish
• Illegal gear use.

6. The fisheries to be managed under the plan
• Fish need various habitats to complete their lifecycle:
spawning, nursing, feeding and refuge habitat.
• The habitats are located a considerable distance and
migratory fish need to migrate across the border to find
breeding and refuge habitat.
• Fishers reported that their catch had declined and that
smaller sized fish dominated their catch.
• A decline fish production based on the cumulative
impact of water development, deforestation, climate
changes, and illegal fishing methods and demands
made for wild fish due to high market prices and
population growth.
• The presence of large migratory species has declined
compared to small migratory and non-migratory
species.

7. • Total species in Mekong River: 850 species included 448 species in
Cambodia and 580 species in Lao.
• Criteria of Species Selection:
• Abundant Rank
• Commercially important (price per kilo) for Cambodia
• Commercially important (price per kilo) for Lao PDR
• Valuable for Food Security
• Long Distance Migration
• Located in Mekong
• Located in Sekong
• Threatened
Target Five Species

8. • The project focused on 05 species:
• !តីេ% - Pangasius larnaudii (Black spotted catfish),
• !តី ែក - Pangasius concophilus (Snail-eating catfish),
• !តី!ព)ល - Cirrhinus microlepis (small-scale river carp),
• !តី+៉ សុីអុី - Mekongina erythrospila (Striped river barb),
• !តី!+កណ1 2 រ - Helicophagus waandersii (Pangasid catfish).

9. Transboundary Fisheries
Management Plan
ª The Transboundary Fisheries Management Goal is:
“Increase fish stock to levels that maximize their
sustainable yields”.

10. ª The management plan has set the following
management objectives:
• Increase the abundance and yield of targeted species by
at least 10 % from their current levels by 2021.
• By 2021 the use of harmful (prohibited) gears has been
controlled for the following illegal gears and locations:
• Lee Traps (Name in Laos – may be need name in Khmer) at the
Khone Falls, and
• Other illegal fishing activities (e.g gillnet, dynamite, and poison
fishing in the Transboundary Deep (Conservation) Pool, and
• At two locations in the Sekong (gears and locations to be
agreed).

11. ª Management Measures
• Reduce the number of Lee traps operating in and
around the Khone Falls area;
• Control (reduce) illegal fishing activities including
the use of prohibited fishing gears in the
Transboundary Conservation pool.

12. ª The Law, Regulation and Policy
• The Fisheries Law,
• Prakas on Closing and Opening Fishing Season,
• Prakas on Illegal Fishing,
• MRC and CNMC Policy on Rivers and Fisheries
Management,
• MoU for Transboundary Fisheries Management for
the Mekong and Sekong River in Cambodia and
Lao.
• There are no involved transboundary fisheries
regulations, but only fisheries law.

13. ª Communication Mechanism
• Set up the Transboundary Fisheries Management Bodies
• Regional Fisheries Management Committee (RFMC),
• Provincial Fisheries Management Committee (PFMC),
• District Fisheries Management Committee (DFMC),
• Commune/Sangkat Fisheries Management Committee (C/SFMC),
• Community Fisheries Committee (CFC).
• TOR of the Bodies/Committees.
• Collaboration and Cooperation between Cambodia and Loa.
• MoU,
• Exchange Visit,
• Fish Day.

14. ª Monitoring and control
• Monitoring MP performance indicators
• Catch Per Unit of Effort (CPUE)
• Illegal Fishing Activities (Lee Traps and Illegal fishing
indicators in fisheries conservation zones, Ramsar area and
Dolphin conservation area (Cambodia sector))
• Control and enforcement activities
• Lee Traps (Lao PDR)
• Illegal fishing in Conservation Pool (Cambodia)
• Sharing monitoring programme data
• IFReDI will share CPUE database and analysis files and paper records of
illegal fishing activity through email and paper (report) copy, annually.

15. ª Management Plan Evaluation
• IFReDI and PFiA will complete the data analysis and
conduct consultations with a wider group of
stakeholders,
• The body will compare indicators against targets for
each management objective using tables, charts,
graphics, etc., resulting in a Technical Report.

16. Conclusion
• Both country try to solve fisheries issues with
official and unofficial of legislation system to set up
a mechanism of protect a illegal fishing activities.
• Established all level of Transboundary Fisheries
Management Body (TFMB), include communities to
conserve fish or fish migration.
• Established management mechanism by participate
in both country (Joint meeting/workshop, Joint
exchange visit, Fish day).
• Strengthening the fish monitoring through fish
monitoring programme.
• Network with RAMSAR, NGOs, MoE, …

17. THANK YOU !!!