Australian Ambassador H.E. Pablo Kang announced Thursday a three-year initiative to promote fishways in the Lower Mekong Basin.
Most activities in the AUD 5 million (US$4 million) initiative will be implemented in Cambodia and Laos, with Thailand and Vietnam taking part in training activities.
The “FishTech” initiative is being carried out by the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) in partnership with the Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, whose Secretary of State H.E. Khun Savoeun took part in Thursday’s launch along with ACIAR Chief Executive Andrew Campbell.
As part of the initiative, Australia will fund the construction of fish passes at several locations including demonstration sites near Phnom Penh and Siem Reap as well as Vientiane.
Australia’s Charles Sturt University will meanwhile work with Cambodian fisheries scientists and irrigation engineers to develop a series of “masterclasses” to help build institutional capacity for technical design and policy making.
ACIAR and the university will also work with the Fisheries Administration to host a regional forum in Siem Reap next year, where the benefits of the work in Cambodia and Laos can be showcased to agencies and donors across the Mekong region.
The ambassador’s announcement followed a visit to the Stung Chinit fishway in Kampong Thom province, built with assistance from the Asian Development Bank.
Completed in 2006, the fishway is based on a design for the Ben Anderson Barrage on the Burnett River in the Australian state of Queensland.
“The launch of the FishTech initiative is the culmination of a decade of technical work to demonstrate the concept that it is possible to have productive fish and rice systems,” said Lee Baumgartner, Acting Director of Charles Sturt University’s Gulbali Institute.
Source: Agency Kampuchea Press