16 November 2023, Kep  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has kicked off training to Fisheries Administration (FiA) cantonment officials and other fisheries stakeholders as part of ongoing efforts aimed at improving the livelihoods of coastal community fisheries. The training will build stakeholder capacity in management of fisheries which in the long term supports the protection and rehabilitation of fish resources and habitats.

Essential fish habitats include coral reefs, seagrass and mangrove forest and these are necessary for fish reproduction, growth, feeding and shelter. Marine fish cannot survive without these vital healthy habitats. Effective management of fisheries will therefore contribute to the process of enabling growth in the value generated by marine fisheries while ensuring that resources are exploited at an economically efficient and sustainable rate.

“Controlling the quantity of fish that can be taken by fishing is essential for ensuring sustainable use. Part of the process is bringing stakeholders together to improve understanding and acceptance of the need for everyone to collaborate on designing and implementing solutions.  Working together with a common goal will strengthen efforts to reduce practices and activities that have negative impacts on fishery resources, habitats and profitability,” the Deputy Director General of Fisheries Administration, Mr. Buoy Roitana said.

FiA initiated development of a marine fisheries management plan which is now undergoing the approval process. The plan will help rehabilitate and protect fish resources and critical habitats and enable a variety of user groups to benefit from the usage of fish. FiA developed the plan with technical support from FAO and in consultation with stakeholders at all levels including local authorities and fishing communities who play a key role in the decision-making process.

“This training is being organized to help management level within FiA, cantonment, inspectorates and community fisheries, fishers to understand the mechanisms that can be used to manage marine fisheries resources’, said Phen Bunthoeun, Technical Advisor of Marine Fisheries Management at FAO Cambodia. “It is conceived as an interactive workshop with many group and role plays exercises to enable stakeholders and key actors to apply techniques, creating more stable and predictable conditions of fish stock.”  

Training sessions are being held in Kep province on 16 and 17 November 2023 and in Kampot province on 21 and 23 November 2023 and will engage with a total of 60 representatives from Phnom Penh and the coastal provinces overall. As the next step, the marine fisheries management plan will be approved and launched early next year.

Supporting sustainable marine fisheries management

The development of marine fisheries management plan was initiated since 2021 with funding from the EU under FAO Complementary Support to the Cambodia Programme for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in the Fisheries Sector (CAPFISH-Capture) which is one of the largest EU supported fisheries programmes in the world.

The programme aims to improve fisheries conservation, management and compliance with fisheries laws and regulations including the National Plan of Action to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Marines Fishing in the inland and marine domain particularly strengthened fisheries management frameworks.

CAPFISH-Capture aims to help the Royal Government of Cambodia to achieve a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive freshwater and marine fisheries development, contributing to food security and poverty reduction. It aims to do so by improving conservation, management and compliance with fisheries laws and regulations in the inland and marine domain, contributing to the development of post-harvest fisheries and improving resilience of the fishing communities of the Tonle Sap and coastal areas.