Cambodia to Step Up Crackdown on Illegal Fishing, Prosecute Organizers

Prime Minister Hun Manet has instructed the armed forces and all government institutions to work together to suppress illegal fishing, including identifying and prosecuting the organisers behind such activities, in order to ensure stocks continue to recover, for the benefit of fishing communities and the nation. Manet issued the directive while presiding over National Fish Day celebrations today, June 1, in Svay Rieng town, Svay Rieng province. The celebrations saw 1.5 million juvenile fish released into the Vaico River. He noted that over the past two years, he has ordered the Royal Cambodian Army to deploy personnel to support the Fisheries Administration and other law enforcement agencies conducting operations against illegal fishing on Tonle Sap Lake. The prime minister explained that the army’s involvement was necessary because of the vast size of the lake and the increasing sophistication of illegal fishing operations, particularly the use of electric shock devices and other destructive fishing equipment. Referring to recent incidents, Manet claimed some individuals had encouraged hundreds of people to engage in illegal electrofishing while avoiding responsibility themselves. “Recently, there were people inciting hundreds of villagers to go electrofishing. Before that, they encouraged people to occupy land and sell it. Now they’re telling people to go catch fish with electric devices and promising to buy the catch, while they themselves escape legal responsibility,” he said. “We must find those instigators and arrest them so we can protect our fisheries,” he added. He stressed that targeting those who organise and encourage illegal fishing is essential to conserving the Kingdom’s fishery resources. According to the prime minister, two years of intensified conservation efforts and stricter enforcement have already produced clear results, with fish stocks showing signs of recovery. Manet also instructed authorities to pay closer attention to large-scale drag-net fishing operations, noting that some boats haul in 30 to 40 tonnes of fish in a single operation, indiscriminately catching both juvenile and adult fish and harming the livelihoods of ordinary fishing communities. “Pay attention to these large drag-net operations. They catch 30 or 40 tonnes at a time, wiping out everything, large and small. That’s why I ordered the army to operate on Tonle Sap. For the past two years they have been tackling crimes involving natural resources on land and water, while also carrying out their border protection duties. They are working alongside the Fisheries Administration, other authorities and local communities to find a sustainable solution. We don’t want to rely on deploying the military indefinitely,” he said. The prime minister added that once ministries, local authorities and communities develop a sustainable system of shared responsibility, local institutions will be better equipped to manage fisheries without requiring continued military involvement. Manet reiterated that the government’s priority is protecting the interests of the majority of Cambodians. “We must put the interests of the people first. Those capable of conducting large-scale illegal fishing that severely damages fish stocks are very few. If they break the law, they must be suppressed in order to protect people’s livelihoods and ensure our waters continue to produce abundant fish,” he said. He also instructed the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to further strengthen fisheries management and conservation, particularly the protection of breeding fish and endangered aquatic species. The prime minister urged the ministry to continue working closely with sub-national authorities and all branches of the armed forces to improve the effectiveness of efforts to prevent and suppress illegal fishing, while strictly enforcing the law against the production, distribution and use of highly destructive fishing gear, including electric shock devices and fine-mesh mosquito nets.