The Mirage —
ACIAR recently launched a new 4-year initiative to advance climate-sensitive river development and food security across Southeast Asia. Backed by A$9.5 million in joint funding from ACIAR and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Mekong-Australia Partnership, FishTech Plus marks the next phase of the highly successful FishTech program, which ran from 2020 to 2026.
Commencing in August 2026, the program will operate across Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Led by Charles Sturt University, the FishTech Plus investment was formally announced by Australia’s Minister for International Development, the Hon Dr Anne Aly MP, during a visit to a study site in the Mekong region.
Reconnecting the Mekong, restoring fisheries
Across Southeast Asia, investment in irrigation and hydropower, often termed ‘river infrastructure’, is helping meet growing demands for food, water and energy. However, these developments can also fragment river systems, with dams and weirs blocking the critical migration routes fish require to access feeding and breeding habitats. This can lead to fisheries declines.