The Cambodia Daily
Officials are drafting a directive that would require all fishing boats in provinces surrounding the Tonle Sap Lake to be registered, an attempt to curb illegal fishing on the sprawling lake as part of a crackdown that started last year.
“All fishermen have to get their boats registered,” Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon said on Tuesday.
“This is a measure to curb anarchic fishing and track down the fishing boats using illegal gear on the Tonle Sap Lake.”
The directive will require all fishing and transport boats on the Tonle Sap to register with the Public Works and Transport Ministry. Number plates will also have to be affixed to vessels, and the names of their owners recorded, Mr. Sakhon said.
It will also designate which areas of the lake will allow the use of fishing gear and which will be off-limits, seeking to ensure fish can migrate freely, Mr. Sakhon said, adding that sensitive areas like the lake’s bottleneck in Kompong Chhnang province should be off-limits.