Families Feel Squeeze From Tonle Sap Lake Fishing Net Ban

Residents in the floating villages here say they rely on fish to feed their families, but they are only allowed to use nets 50 meters in length or shorter. The ban, intended to mitigate overfishing of dwindling stocks in the Tonle Sap, is seasonal, but the ban has been extended from the end of July to the end of September.​ Sitting in her boat at the village of Preak, Raing Til commune, in Pursat, Chan Ry said she could once catch 40 kilograms to 50 kilograms of fish per day with larger nets hundreds of meters in length. With the shorter net required by the new regulations, she catches only a few kilograms of fish each day.