Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Adult male dolphin found dead from fishing net in Stung Treng

Adult male dolphin found dead from fishing net in Stung Treng

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
An adult male dolphin weighing 160 kg was found dead in Stung Treng from a fishing net on March 19. WWF CAMBODIA

Adult male dolphin found dead from fishing net in Stung Treng

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has reiterated its demands that fishermen stop all fishing activity including the use of nets, hooks and illegal fishing equipment in the dolphin conservation zone in Stung Treng province to ensure the sustainability of the endangered species and other fish after another dolphin was found dead there on March 19.

The Fisheries Administration (FiA) said in a March 19 press release that the dolphin, marked No 056, was around 20 years old and measured 2.39m.

An assessment by officials from the FiA and World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) Cambodia indicated that the dolphin, weighing around 160kg, had died after becoming entangled in a fishing net. It is the first dolphin casualty of 2023.

According to the FiA, around 90 dolphins currently live in the Mekong River in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces. Adult dolphins begin to reproduce at the age of 7 and typically have offspring every two years.

At present, the dolphins are under severe threat from fishing equipment such as nets, hooks and electrocution devices, which led to the government issuing a sub-decree on February 27 designating 120km of the river as a dolphin conservation zone.

The zone stretches from the Cambodia-China Friendship Bridge in Stung Treng to Kbal Koh Trong in Kratie, and the sub-decree places a ban on all fishing there.

The press release said the agriculture ministry, in collaboration with the provincial administrations of Kratie and Stung Treng and other relevant partner organisations, are continuing to strengthen the protection in the conservation area.

The ministry is also educating people about the endangered Mekong River dolphins both locally and internationally to ensure the sustainability of the dolphins and of natural fisheries resources.

But the ministry said some fishermen are still putting up nets in secret and thereby endangering the dolphins.

“We are recruiting more river guards and gathering more forces to patrol the dolphin management zone on a regular basis to prevent fishermen from using fishing nets and hooks as well as other illegal fishing equipment. We will also increase community education and continue to encourage fishermen to find other jobs,” said the press release.

WWF country director Seng Teak expressed deep regret at the loss of the dolphin, noting that it was at reproductive age.

He said the organisation would continue to help support serious law enforcement work by training and planning conservation and patrols and participate in spreading knowledge of the sub-decree and planting poles to mark dolphin protection and conservation zones.

“The relevant authorities need to carry out strict inspections to stop fishing in the zone and especially monitor the fish market and depots near the zones to ensure that no mother fish or endangered fish are being traded from the zones,” he said.

MOST VIEWED

  • Joy as Koh Ker Temple registered by UNESCO

    Cambodia's Koh Ker Temple archaeological site has been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17. The ancient temple, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in

  • Famed US collector family return artefacts to Cambodia

    In the latest repatriation of ancient artefacts from the US, a total of 33 pieces of Khmer cultural heritage will soon return home, according to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. In a September 12 press statement, it said the US Attorney’s Office for the

  • Tina rebuffs ‘false claims’ over falling paddy price

    Agriculture minister Dith Tina has shed light on the trade of paddy rice in Battambang – Cambodia’s leading rice-producing province – in a bid to curb what he dubs a “social media fact distortion campaign” to destabilise the market. While acknowledging that the prices of paddy

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • Kampot curfew imposed to curb ‘gang’ violence

    Kampot provincial police have announced measures to contain a recent spike in antisocial behaviour by “unruly’ youth. Officials say the province has been plagued by recent violence among so-called “gang members”, who often fight with weapons such as knives and machetes. Several social observers have

  • PM outlines plans to discuss trade, policy during US visit

    Prime Minister Hun Manet is set to meet with senior US officials and business leaders during his upcoming visit to the US for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), scheduled for September 20. While addressing nearly 20,000 workers in Kampong Speu province, Manet said he aims to affirm