Cambodian Authorities Crack Down on Illegal Fishing During Closed Season, Release Fish Back into Natural Waters

Authorities in Prek Prasap District, Kratie Province, have intensified their crackdown on illegal fishing during the closed season, a crucial initiative aimed at the sustainable conservation of fishery resources and their inheritance for future generations. The Prek Prasap District Fisheries Administration, in collaboration with the district administration, members of the Natural Resources Protection and Suppression Committee, and the Sop Commune Council and Keng-Kampong-D Fisheries Community, conducted an operation to inspect, prevent, and suppress illegal fishing activities within the district's geographical area. The specific location of the crackdown was near the '5000 Road Bridge' in Prek Chik village, Sop commune. According to Mok Polok, Director of the Kratie Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, the period from June 1st to September 30th each year is designated as the closed fishing season in Kratie Province. This period is established to protect fishery resources and ensure their abundance for posterity. The fishing areas in Kratie Province are divided into two main zones. The first is the dolphin conservation area, where the use of any type of fishing gear, including nets less than 100 meters or 10-20 meters, fishing hooks, or fishing traps, is strictly prohibited. This regulation is particularly stringent from the head of Kaoh Trong Island upstream. Conversely, outside the dolphin conservation management and protection zone, from the head of Kaoh Trong Island downstream, ordinary fishing activities are permitted for household use, including nets less than 100 meters, fishing hooks, traps, and nets. However, the use of illegal fishing gear prohibited by law is not allowed under any circumstances. The crackdown operation, which took place on July 20, 2026, saw a joint force of authorities dismantle and destroy a significant amount of illegal fishing gear. This included four bamboo fence structures spanning over two-thirds of the width of the Prek Sop River (each 100 meters long), 10 traps, 120 wooden stakes, 16 wooden driving poles, four sets of net fences (300 meters in length), four net-based traps, and 80 stakes. Furthermore, approximately 20 kilograms of various species of fish that had been caught were released back into the natural waters.