Drought Prompts Calls for Fish Farms, Imports

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Khmer Times/Chea Vannak

The prolonged drought is raising fears that domestic fish supplies will be so depleted that the Kingdom may need to start importing fish to compensate for a shortfall at markets, officials said. With lakes and rivers drying up or in the extreme heat fish stocks are being depleted, prompting the government to call on farmers to increase the number of fish farms to compensate for shortages in markets. Ing Try, deputy director general of the Fishery Administration, said Cambodia may have to resort importing fish in from other countries to meet demand.

“Cambodia may need to import fish from neighboring countries to supply demand in markets,” he said. The extreme temperatures this year are the highest in recorded history. Many parts of the country are in drought, with both wild and domestic animals dying and rivers getting shallower as the rainy season has yet to arrive. Last week an estimated 65 tons of dead fish were found in the protected Tonle Chhmar Lake. Officials said they died due to a combination of shallow water and the extreme temperatures. At the same time many wild animals in the country’s northern provinces reportedly died due to a lack of water and extreme heat.

Mr. Try said the extreme temperatures, due to the El Nino effect, had caused water in lakes and rivers to dry up and fish had also died from rising water temperature. “Because of the situation, fish harvests from rivers cannot support the market needs and we may need to import fish,” Mr. Try said. “We are now a part of the ASEAN Economic Community, so exporting and importing from neighboring countries is simple.”

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