Fisheries offences in the flooded forests around the Tonle Sap Lake, including those involving illegal nets and electric shock devices, persist despite an uptick in law enforcement pursuits.
A spokesman for the Fisheries Administration (FiA) said more than 63,000ha of flooded forests have been rehabilitated in the area around the Tonle Sap Lake this year with a high survival rate for the saplings. The land was reclaimed from farmers and traders who had illegally encroached on it.
More than 500 electric shock fishing rods and nets weighing more than seven tonnes, as well as a range of other illegal fishing equipment, have been confiscated by Battambang provincial authorities in the past three months, according to Fisheries Administration (FiA) officials.
The provincial administrations of Battambang and Kampong Thom have warned they will take legal action against any fishermen who continues to make use of illegal fishing gear or is found with it in their possession.
Battambang provincial Fisheries Administration apprehended perpetrators of 38 fishery crimes and confiscated fishing nets spanning a total of 18,560m in the first quarter of this year, according to a new report.