PHNOM PENH: The Minister of Agriculture, Dith Tina, has said that this year there will be an abundance of fish due to the effective prevention of fishing crimes in the Tonle Sap Lake last spawning season.

On Saturday morning, 31 December 2022, the Minister of Agriculture inspected the fishing activities of villagers in Tapov village, Koh Chen commune, Ponhea Leu district and Sangvar village, Kampong Luong commune, Kandal province.

During the inspection, he noted that the fishing season ended with a fishing line catching up to three tons of fish in less than an hour, which is the result of the effective prevention of illegal fishing crimes in the Tonle Sap lake during the last spawning season.

The Minister emphasized that a balance between conservation and production is key to sustainability, with the belief that natural fish are still capable of growing more if spawning grounds in flooded forests are maintained and a suitable fishing season is allocated to give time for the fish to grow and reproduce.

He called on all fishermen to continue to abiding by fishing laws in order to preserve this resource for a long time. He stressed that the perpetrators of illegal fishing crimes will face severe punishment.

He also advised fisheries officials cracking down on fishing crimes to not wait for the crimes to be committed, and to actively work to arrest perpetrators when there is any evidence found.

The Fisheries Administration has called on people who like to make prahok, frozen fish or fish sauce to hurry and buy their fish supply early in 2023, as this is a more favorable time for catching fish with clear skies and no rain to affect the 2022-2023 fishing season. During this period, fish begin to migrate from the Tonle Sap Lake through streams and creeks into the Mekong and Bassac rivers.