Title
Collection of small-scale artisanal fisheries data using interviews of village fishers on the Sre Ambel River, Cambodia
Author(s)
Neal, J. Wesley ;Allen, Peter J. ;Marlay, Sarah E. ;Phan, Channa;Mahood, Simon ;Som, Sitha;Preap, Prathna
Published
2019
Publisher
Cambodian Journal of Natural History
Abstract
Developing countries can benefi t from co-management arrangements (i.e., community fi sheries) between government agencies and local fi shers because the laĴ er can provide social and human capital critical for eff ective resource management and enforcement of fi shing regulations, as well as knowledge on the ecology and relative abundance of fi sh and fi sheries. However, limited information on the scope and issues surrounding fi sheries can impede establishment of effective agreements between local communities and government agencies. To address this information gap in a proposed community river fi shery in Cambodia, we used a semi-structured interview approach which employed public meetings with six villages within the fisheries jurisdiction of the Sre Ambel River system. Our objectives were to 1) determine if semi-structured interviews could generate useful fi shery data, and 2) use these data to make recommendations to stakeholders for development of a community fishery. Our approach provided data on local demographics and gender roles, important fi shery characteristics and techniques and potential for aquaculture development and also helped identify challenges to be addressed. Eighty-three fish species and 20 aquatic non-fi sh species were identified as being of potentially high management importance in the Sre Ambel River system. Fishery techniques included diverse\ types of gear and these and the areas fi shed varied seasonally. Men and women were both involved in fishing, often in complementary roles. Potential challenges identifi ed included habitat alteration, fi shing pressure and lack of regulation. Aquaculture was identifi ed as a possible solution to some of the challenges, but would depend upon land use and require support. Provided its limitations are understood, our semi-structured interview approach may serve as a model for collecting user-based data in other isolated fisheries where the resources needed to collect fi shery-independent data are limited
Keywords
Artisanal;Cambodia;co-management;community fishery;semi-structured interview

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PUB24840