Fisheries in Cambodia constitute both an integral part of rural livelihoods and a major contributor to the national economy and food security. Fish provides more than 75 % of the total animal protein intake in people's diets and provide nearly more than 1.5 million full time jobs and involve at least 6 million people in the fishing activities.
The goal of the fisheries sector is to maximize the contribution of fisheries to the achievement of national development objectives, especially those related to improving rural livelihoods of the poor, enhancing food security, the sustainable development and equitable use of the fisheries resource base.
The Strategy
The Royal Government has enabled the community-based development of the fisheries sector by empowering local communities so that farmers can participate directly, actively and equitably in fishery plans, programs and management.
The Royal Government will continue its program of transforming more of the fishing lots where concession contracts have expired into fish sanctuaries, thereby helping increase natural fish stocks and conserving endangered species. The public fishing ground will be expanded and aquaculture will be promoted to respond to the increasing needs for fish as well as to reduce the pressure on fisheries resources. The Fisheries Administration will work with other Ministries, departments and agencies to promote livelihood diversification in support of effective fisheries management.
To achieve the goals mentioned above the Action Plan for the fisheries sector needs to prepare the way by focusing on high priority actions to be implemented as soon as possible. There are 6 priority areas:
1.
Reviewing, revising and improving the policy, plans, legislation, institution and capacity (human and physical) of the fisheries sector.
2.
Increasing more areas for family fishing through fishing lot reforms.
3.
Stock enhancement through conservation and research study.
4.
Community-based fisheries management to promote local participation in fisheries management linked to livelihood diversification.
5.
Improving livelihood of poor rural people by enhancing the role of fish in food security, employment and income generation by ensuring the sustainable use of aquatic resources, and by increasing community and household production levels through rural aquaculture development.
6.
Improving livelihood of poor people by improving their capacity to more effectively use fish after capture through enhanced post-harvest fisheries development.
These priorities will be achieved whilst adhering to Cambodia's international obligations in relation to aquatic resource use (such as WTO, CITES, ASEAN) and with due reference to FAOs Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
The Goals
