Kratie Provincial Administration Continues to Take Strong Measures to Conserve Dolphin Population
KRATIE: The Kratie provincial administration has set strict measures to prevent more dolphins in the province from disappearing. Currently, there are only an estimated 50 to 55 dolphins left in Kratie province.
The Director of the Kratie Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Try Sopheak, said during a Tuesday, 31 January 2023, press conference on the achievements made by the Kratie Provincial Administration in the past five years, that the administration has introduced a number of measures, such as increasing the number of river guards on duty 24 hours a day up to 44 people across 11 different checkpoints on the Mekong River. These checkpoints span more than 80 kilometers of Kratie province and are equipped with fast engine boats that can catch perpetrators harming the dolphin population.
He said that since establishing these precautionary measures in the province’s dolphin sanctuary, no new dolphin deaths have been recorded. These measures were implemented following a series of dolphin deaths in Kampi village, pushing officials to crack down on illegal fishing activities, block out the area and dismantle tens of thousands of meters of fishing nets.
He added that authorities recently have collected data on 1,388 fishermen engaged in illegal activities along the river in Kratie province, and the Minister of Agriculture has provided support to further strengthen the quality of guards and ensure stronger prevention.
The Provincial Department Director said he had instructed the Fisheries Administration to inspect the construction of fish farms in the dolphin conservation area and make contracts to stop this activity.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has announced a series of Mekong dolphin deaths in Cambodia, with 11 recorded deaths in 2022, and a total of 29 dolphin deaths recorded in the past three years. The Cambodian Prime Minister subsequently ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and the Kratie and Stung Treng Provincial Authorities to protect freshwater dolphins from threats posed by human activities.
