INTRODUCTION
While the donor community has paid close attention to the
forestry sector in Cambodia, little attention has been given to
commercial fishing and its impacts on local people's livelihood
and food security. Fish has long been part of the staple diet of
Cambodians, second only to rice in consumption. About 70% of
Cambodians' animal protein intake per capita consumption is
derived from freshwater fish. The fishery sector contributes
from 5.3% to 8.5% of the GDP, which ranks the fishery sector as
an important sector for the national economy.
As Cambodia moves towards a free market economy, the commercial
pressure on natural resources has dramatically increased.
Privatization of the remaining fishery resources has had a great
impact on local livelihoods, leading to an alarming increase in
conflicts over fisheries.
In order to protect people's livelihoods and natural resources,
NGOs have advocated that government institutions apply more
effort to solving fishing problems. NGOs have also been piloting
another approach, namely community fisheries, in order to
protect fishery resources. The experience of NGOs in Stung Treng
province show that community fisheries have helped reduce
illegal fishing by up to 60% since it was established.
KEY ISSUES
There are numerous problems within the fishery sector, some of
which are listed below:
-
Impact of commercial fishing on local
communities Commercial fishing has had a negative impact on
local communities. People's access to fishing for
subsistence living has been denied by fishing
concessionaires. People's present and future food security
has been affected. The conflict between local people and
fishing concessionaires has been alarming, sometimes
resulting in violence against those who are weak and
powerless. The state's mechanisms for avoiding these impacts
on local people are inadequate.
-
Illegal fishing by fishing concessionaires
The commercial fishing lot system has failed to prevent
illegal fishing. Illegal fishing by fishing concessionaires
is occurring through- out the country. It is a major cause
of the destruction and the decline of fishery resources.
Despite the recent crackdown on illegal fishing, the
activities of the concessionaires remain unchanged as they
seek to maximize their income in order to pay operational
costs, government auction fees and numerous informal
payments.
-
Inadequate legal framework for controlling
commercial fishing
The current Fishery Law was promulgated in 1987 under the
then socialist government. Since then, privatization of
fishery resources has developed, and enforcement and implementation of the law has been inadequate. The effort to
draft a new Fishery Law, with support from the World Bank,
has shown the desire of the government to reform the fishery
sector. However, NGOs are concerned that, unless there is
adequate consultation, laws drafted by foreign consultants
often do not sufficiently reflect the needs of local people
who are affected by the law.
-
Lack of legal framework for community
fisheries
Efforts to promote natural resource management and local
livelihoods through community fisheries have been hampered
through the lack of a legal framework and enforcement.
Villagers who invest precious time, labour and resources
into community-based management of fisheries currently have
no guarantee of future benefit, in some cases losing their
fishing areas to fishing concessionaires and military
personnel.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Fishery resources have declined, and this affects the food
security and livelihoods of local people. Efforts to protect
fish stocks for local consumption are needed. One way to help
combat illegal fishing and protect fishery resources is the
introduction of community fisheries. However, in order to do
this, the following recommendations are suggested:
-
Legally protect the right of local
communities living nearby fishing areas to fish for a
subsistence living. Allow for community fisheries in order
to protect fishery resources for sustainable usage and avoid
conflicts over these resources.
-
Involve local communities, NGOs and concerned agencies and institutions in a
consultative process
in order to devise a more realistic and transparent draft
fishery law.
-
Act to curtail the militarization of fishery
resources. Ensure that demobilization proceeds carefully so
as to avoid any exacerbation of existing problems.
-
Donor assistance to the fisheries sector
should focus on improving the welfare of the local
communities affected by developments in the fisheries
sector. A narrow emphasis on increasing government revenues
from fisheries should be avoided, as this may lead to
unsustainable resource extraction.
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