More than 500 electric shock fishing rods and nets weighing more than seven tonnes, as well as a range of other illegal fishing equipment, have been confiscated by Battambang provincial authorities in the past three months, according to Fisheries Administration (FiA) officials of Cambodia.
This followed an order from Prime Minister Hun Sen to clamp down on fisheries crimes without exception in the area around the Tonle Sap lake.
Provincial FiA director Chuong Sophea told The Post that while instances of fisheries crimes, including the exploitation of flooded forests, in Battambang have been low, they still occurred in some remote areas, particularly in Ek Phnom district.
Just two days ago, a joint police force discovered numerous cases of illegal fishing at former fishing lots No1 and No2 in Prek Toal and Kbal Toal villages of the district’s Koh Chiveang commune.
Among the fishing equipment confiscated were 8,700m of nets and 3,300 posts, while 150kg of different species of fish were released back into the lake.
“Implementing Prime Minister Hun Sen’s order to crack down on fisheries crimes around the Tonle Sap lake over the past three months, Battambang province joint police forces acted and confiscated numerous items of illegal fishing equipment.
“The illegal equipment included more than seven tonnes of nets and 540 electric shock fishing rods, with 300 received from people vowing to no longer commit fisheries crimes,” Sophea said.