FISHING CONFLICT
IN
KOMPONG CHHNANG
TABLE OF CONTENTS
II. The Fishing Population in Kompong Chhnang
2.3 Population of Fishing Communes
2.4 Land Holding of Fishing Households
III. Degradation of Natural Resources
IV. Factors Contributing to the Problems
4.1 The Forest Clearance in 1985 and Its Present Impacts
4. 2 The change in the fishery management
4.3 Commercialization and Privatization Policy
V. Illegal Fishing Activities by Lot Owners
2. 1 Illegal Fishing Activities by Fishing Lots Owner in Kompong Chhnang
2.1.1 The Lot Owner Forced People to Work without Pay
2.1.2 Destroying the Irrigation Schemes
2.2 Local Authorities and Fishery Office
2.3 Fishing Communities Movement
Located in the central part of Cambodia with a Tone Sap flows from the south to the north and reverse flow, Kompong Chhnang is rich in fishery resources. As most of the fishing areas are under the fishing lots and population growth rate maintain at 2.5% annually, the struggle for survival of the local people has led to the conflict. The conflict over the resource uses between communities and fishing lot owners is widespread around fishing areas.
The conflict has happened as both parties compete for their interests. The interests of local people are for livelihoods and the interest of the fishing lot owners is maximizing profits. The rich and powerful are the winners in this conflict and losers are the poor and powerless.
This paper gives background information
about the current fishing situation, the population growth of the fishing
communities against the decline of natural resources, the denial of people's
access to fisheries and violation of the people's right to fisheries resources
by lot owners. It also addresses the peoples’ attempts and mechanisms to
resolve this conflict for their livelihoods.
II. The Fishing Population in
Kompong Chhnang
Kompong Chhnang province, which
covers an area of 5, 521 km2, is located in the central part of
Cambodia, bordering Kompong Speu and Pursat in the west, Kompong
Thom in the north, Kompong Speu and Kandal in the south and Kompong
Thom and Kompong Cham in the east. The province consists of 8
districts, 69 communes and 546 villages. The Tonle Sap River flows
through Kompong Chhnang across six districts, including Boribo, Rolear
Phear, Kompong Leng, Chulkiri, Kompong Tralach and Kompong Chhnang.
The population census in 1998 shows that Kompong Chhnang is a densely populated province with total population of 417, 693 people. The population density is 76 per km2, which is higher than the national density of 64. The population of this province constitutes 3.7% of Cambodian population. The percentage of female population accounts for 52.7%1.
Table 2.1 Population of Kompong Chhnang in 1962 and 1998
|
Year |
Area (Km2) |
Population |
Density (pop. per sq. km2) |
|
19622 |
5, 520.8 |
272, 911 |
49.4 |
|
19983 |
5,521 |
417, 693 |
76 |
Source: Population census 1962 and 1998.
Since the population census in 1962, the
population density has increased more than1.5 times. Over 38 years, the population
has nearly doubled. This increase has had an impact on the resource base that
people need for their survival.
The results of the population census in 1998 show that, in Kompong Chhnang, about 85% of the population are involved in the agricultural sector. The rest, 12% and 1.7%, are involved in the service and industrial sectors respectively. The rice cultivation is the most important activities. The average rice yield at present is around 1.25 tons per hectare. Apart from rice, people supplement their incomes and livelihoods by fishing and cutting forest.
Around three quaters of the districts in Kompong Chhnang consist of communes in which fishing is a significant activity (See table Table 2.2 below).
Table 2.2 The Fishing Communes by Districts
|
District |
Population |
No. of fishing communes |
No. of non-fishing communes |
Total |
|
Boribo |
36070 |
7 |
4 |
11 |
|
Rolear Phear |
67 773 |
7 |
6 |
13 |
|
Kampong Leng |
28 111 |
9 |
0 |
9 |
|
Chulkiry |
20 883 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
|
Kampong Tralach |
62 482 |
8 |
2 |
10 |
|
Kampong Chhnang |
29 115 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
|
Total |
244 434 |
38 |
14 |
52 |
Source: Ahmed M. et al, 1998.
2.3 Population of Fishing
Communes
The rate of involvement in fishing by households varies between provinces. Comparing with other provinces around Tonle Sap Great Lake, Kompong Chhnang consist of a high percentage of active households engaged in fishing (see figure 1).
The population of fishing communes in Kompong Chhnang
constituted 75% of the total population (See Table 2.3). Fishing is part of the
traditional food collection for many families. Some households involve directly
while others are part time fishing. Since most households have free access to
common property resources such as lakes and rivers, it is cheaper to catch fish
than buy it from the market. This was given as the main reason for choosing to
fish as a preferred activity of the household.
Source: Ahmed et al. 1998. *
Table 2.3 below shows that the population of fishing commune has increase 29% over 4 years between 1994 to 1998. The population of Boribo and Kampong Chhnang districts has increased nearly double within the same period.
Table 2.3 Population Increase in Fishing Communes in Kompong Chhnang,
by District
|
Name
of District |
Population
of Fishing Communes |
|
|
|
in
19944 |
in
19985 |
%
Increase |
|
|
Boribo |
36070 |
51 516 |
43% |
|
Rolear Phear |
67 773 |
81 134 |
20% |
|
Kampong Leng |
28 111 |
37 379 |
33% |
|
Chulkiry |
20 883 |
28 300 |
36% |
|
Kampong Tralach |
62 482 |
74 541 |
19% |
|
Kampong Chhnang |
29 115 |
41 703 |
43% |
|
Total |
244 434 |
314573 |
29% |
2.4 Land Holding of Fishing
Households
Land is an important asset of the rural household. It provides opportunities for diverse agricultural activities and to a large extent determines economic position.6 According to Oxfam Land Study Project, in Kompong Chhnang province, the landless residents account for 8.28%7. The fishing households own a much larger amount of land than non-fishing hoseholds. The Household Survey of Socio-economic Assessment of Freshwater Capture Fisheries of Cambodia reveals that in Kompong Chhnang the estimated average land holding of the fishing household is about 0.92 ha per household, whereas for the non-fishing household it is around 0.72 ha per household.
The report shows that among 199 surveyed fishing households in Kompong Chhnang's fishing communes, 20.1% of them are landless, 22.1% own land less than 0.5 ha, and 33.2% own land between 0.5 to 1 ha. The rest, 24.6%, have more than 1 ha. By comparison, among the 224 non-fishing households surveyed, 29% are landless.
Table 2.4 Distribution of Agricultural land by size 1995-96
|
Household |
Landless |
0<
land <0.5 ha |
0.5<
land <1 ha |
land
>1 ha |
Total |
|||||
|
No. of Family |
% |
No. of HH |
% |
No. of HH |
% |
No. of HH |
% |
No. of HH |
Total |
|
|
Fishing Household |
40 |
20.1 |
44 |
22.1 |
66 |
33.2 |
49 |
24.6 |
199 |
100 |
|
Non-fishing Household |
65 |
29.0 |
63 |
28.1 |
66 |
29.5 |
30 |
13.4 |
224 |
100 |
Source: Ahmed M. et al, 1998.
Besides cultivating agricultural land,
people in rural areas still rely on natural resources that are held as common
property for a wide range of uses. These resources, which are economically
important in rural village life8,
include inundated forests, rivers, flooded ricefields and banks/beds of
rivers/lakes. The dependence of fishing households that have little
agricultural land on fishery resources for their day- to-day livelihoods and
food security is very high. However, the dependence on fishing activities by
landlessness households is much higher. They completely rely on fishing
activities for subsistent living. Any denial of access to fisheries resources
by fishing lot owners or government policy will greatly affect their livelihoods and their food substances.
III. Degradation of Natural
Resources
Clearly, households depend on fishery and other resources. There is a declining trend in the availability of the products and benefits derived from common property resources. If these resources become unavailable in the future, the livelihood opportunities of the people will be affected, especially for the subsistence households whose alternatives are limited.
Traditionally, small-scale or artisanal fishers have provided fish for local consumption. But as fish become scarce and their value increases, it enters the global market and becomes unaffordable for common people. In the process, people are displaced and the private fishing companies take over completely.
The fish stock in Cambodia is declining. In the Mekong River system as a whole, there are 1200 known fish species9. Out of these, 500 species are reported to have resided in the freshwater bodies of Cambodia. However, a recent study found only 100 species now present around the Tonle Sap and adjacent rivers10. Another source indicates that around 300 of the 500 fish species in the Great Lake Tonle Sap have disappeared11.
Table 3.1 The Decline of
Flooded Forest and Flooded Areas
|
Type
of Natural Resources |
Cambodia
(ha) |
Kompong
Chhnang (ha) |
||||
|
1985/87 |
1992/93 |
% Change |
1985/87 |
1992/93 |
% Change |
|
|
Permanent Water |
567 100 |
411 100 |
-27.5% |
261 00 |
204 00 |
-22% |
|
Flooded Forest |
795 400 |
370 700 |
-53% |
911 00 |
722 00 |
-21% |
|
Flooded Secondary Forest |
28 200 |
259 800 |
821% |
0 |
107 00 |
¥! |
|
Flooded Grassland |
80 800 |
84 900 |
5% |
11100 |
10 00 |
-90% |
|
Swamp |
12 200 |
|||||