The ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries spoke out yesterday against a recent ban on fish exports issued by the Tonle Sap Authority.

Last week, in an attempt to crack down on illegal fishing practices, the Tonle Sap Authority, which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Water Resources, issued a ban on all fish exports weighing more than 20 kilogrammes.

Yesterday, the MAFF bemoaned the lack of notice it received about the prohibition.

The MAFF also asserted that the new ban would effectively nullify the licenses that the MAFF issues to traders.

“The law on fisheries allows traders to request export licenses from the MAFF, and now the Tonle Sap Authority banned exports, which I don’t understand,” MAFF secretary of state Por Try said yesterday.  

Chan Yutha, secretary general of the Tonle Sap Authority, defended the ban, saying: “Even if the trader has an exporting license, he cannot export more than 20 kilogrammes of freshwater fish.”