Cambodia: Case Study Report on Illegal Fishing in the Tonlé Sap

Members from Cambodia’s Action Research Teams (ART) network who come from fishing communities investigate and analyse illegal fishing in the Tonlé Sap, Cambodia’s ‘great lake’. As fishers from communities whose livelihood and survival depend on the Tonlé Sap’s bounty, members of ART the communities decided to undertake research to explain the reality and impact of illegal fishing on fishing communities around the lake in Kampong Chhnang, Pursat and Battambang Provinces.

This case study report, written from the information and analyses generated by the communities,  provides a brief background to the Tonle Sap fishing communities and their environment; outlines the administration and governance structures and laws which shape fisheries management and fishing communities’ roles and practices; factors impacting the Tonle Sap ecosystem and communities; and the role of the Action Research Teams. The report concludes with the communities’ suggested ways forward for different stakeholders to take in order to help ensure the sustainability of the livelohood of community fisherfold and the fragile ecosystem of Tonlé Sap itself.