Dolphin species thought extinct in Vietnam caught in Mekong Delta

VN Express – An Irrawaddy dolphin, not seen in decades in Vietnam, was caught by a fisherman in the southern province of Ben Tre on Wednesday. Phan Van Thai, 49, and his wife were fishing on the Co Chien River in Cho Lach District when they heard a loud splashing sound. On further inspection, they discovered a creature they could not identify trapped in their net. "I’ve been fishing Read More…

Mekong Delta pollution crisis, river turns black

Asia Times – Severe pollution in southern Vietnam has caused water in a river in the Mekong Delta to turn black, killing fish and other marine life. Residents living near the Cai Lon River in Hau Giang Province claim that a sugar factory located by the river has been discharging untreated effluent, VN Express reported. Water in the river has turned black as a result and is also Read More…

Giving a dam about the Mekong

The Asean Post – Originating in the Tibetan highlands and running through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam, the Mekong and its tributaries provide water, food and income for 60 million people. The longest river in Southeast Asia is home to the world’s largest inland fishery. It is estimated that 25 percent of the global freshwater catch is harvested from this Read More…

Siem Reap’s wildlife sanctuary, aquarium to break ground in May

Khmer Times – Construction of the ambitious Wildlife Park and Aquarium in Siem Reap is due to begin next month, investors announced during an event Monday. The project – funded by a consortium of investors from Cambodia, Japan, and the United States – has been hailed as the first step in building Siem Reap into a world-class destination for tourists seeking to experience exotic Read More…

River sanctuaries help giant fish recover in Southeast Asia

National Geographic – It may run through a region riven by conflict, but western Thailand’s Ngao River, near the troubled border with Myanmar, is a peaceful haven to the more than 50 species of fish living in it. Below Ban Luiy, one of the many villages dotting the hillsides of this meandering river valley, scores of blue mahseer, a type of carp, congregate in crystal clear waters while Read More…

Kien Giang’s U Minh Thuong seeks to revive freshwater fish…

Viet Nam Net – Authorities in the U Minh Thuong area in Kien Giang Province are trying to bring back a famous endemic freshwater fish, cá đồng. The genus includes species like snakehead fish, bighead catfish, anabas, gourami, tank goby, featherfin fish and others, most of which live in rice fields and ponds but are now seeing their populations dwindling. In U Minh Thuong, which Read More…

Sand mining threatens ways of life, from Cambodia to Nigeria

National Geographic – If you were disturbed by the damage done to Cambodian coastal fisheries by the industrial-scale dredging of sand for sale to Singapore, as shown in the new documentary short “The Lost World,” there’s good news: the practice has largely been shut down in Koh Kong, the area featured in the film. The bad news is that environmentally destructive sand mining Read More…

Ramsar site status for Cambodia’s Stung Sen wetland helps protect…

Xinhua – A conservationist group said on Wednesday that a recent Ramsar site status for Cambodia’s Stung Sen wetland is crucial to help protect the habitat of a number of globally near-threatened species. The rich and biologically diverse Stung Sen wetland has been designated as a unique wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, protecting the habitat of important Read More…

Laos urged to address dam project impacts

Khmer Times – Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam have urged fellow Mekong River Commission member Laos to address cross-border and environmental impact issues following consultations on its Pak Lay hydropower dam project. On Thursday, the MRC member countries agreed on a statement on the proposed project, after they concluded a six-month prior consultation process. The statement called on Read More…

Cambodia’s endangered river dolphins at highest population in 20…

National Geographic – It’s 5:30 p.m., and several tourist boats linger in the middle of the Mekong River. A blood-orange sun casts a warm glow across the milky brown water, making it the ideal time to photograph the rare Irrawaddy river dolphins that congregate in deep, swirling pools. Not that these dolphins are particularly willing photo subjects, as the tourists on this day are Read More…