Prek Tnoat fishing community of Kampot province has recorded another dugong, one of the rare and vulnerable marine animals, coming by.

According to Mr. Sar Surin, Director of the Kampot Provincial Fisheries Administration, the dugong was spotted on July 4 and 5 by the conservation team of the Marine Conservation Cambodia (MCC).

The presence of the vulnerable marine mammal, he said, reaffirmed safe havens and rich biodiversity in the fishing communities in the province, thanks to the joint conservation effort among the community people, local authorities, and partner organisations, especially MCC.

They have cracked down on fishing crime, conserved seaweeds and coral, and protected and planted more mangroves, making the area convenient for rare marine animals such as dugongs, sea turtles, sea horses, and dolphins to come for feeding, taking shelter, and reproduction.

The MCC conservation team shared that during the first half of 2024, they spotted dugongs five times, and they came to Kampot’s fishing commu
nities to feed on seaweed grown in artificial boxes created by the communities.

Kampot province has nine fishing communities with eleven species of seaweeds on 8,435 hectares of seabed, 953 hectares of coral, 1,966 hectares of mangrove forests, and 13 conservation sites.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse