ID :
195491
Mon, 07/18/2011 - 07:28
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/195491
The shortlink copeid
US supports catfish conservation in Vientiane province
VIENTIANE,JULY.(KPL)- The US government has agreed to provide US$25,000 towards the Pa Khoun (Wallago leeri) Conservation Initiative in Hom district, Vientiane province.
In collaboration with relevant authorities and the local community, the project will develop a fish conservation zone in the district, with a specific focus on pa khoun - an endangered species of catfish.
The pa khoun, which can weigh between 150 and 200 kilograms, migrate to Hom district in July to breed and spawn. The Khui and Nam Saan rivers meet in Hom district and this is the only known area where the fish breed and spawn, according to local authorities.
The conservation initiative aims to develop more effective regulations to protect fish stocks and enhance the capacity of district officials and the local community to monitor and patrol the numbers of fish caught and the areas fishing takes place.
The initiative will be led by the District Agriculture Office, while technical support will be provided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Living Aquatic Resource Research Centre (LARREC), and the Livestock and Fisheries Department.
An agreement to support the initiative was signed in Vientiane yesterday between the US Ambassador to Laos Ms Karen Stewart and the Country Representative of IUCN in Laos Ms Latsamay Sylavong.
Representatives from LARREC, the Livestock and Fisheries Department and Hom district authorities were also in attendance.
The conservation initiative will run for 15 months initially, after the signing of the agreement this week.
Ms Stewart said it is hoped the project will preserve fish breeding stocks in Hom district, which will be critical to the food security and nutrition of local people into the future.
Ms Latsamay said the initiative is not the first of its kind in Laos, but is the first in Hom district. It is essential for the district to focus on pa khoun as both a local and national flagship species. This sort of conservation initiative requires effective collaboration with the local community and authorities, she said.
Local fishermen as well as people from other districts traditionally descend on the rivers at this time of year. The area becomes packed with fishing boats as both local villagers and outsiders try to catch as many fish as possible while they are plentiful.
But Hom district authorities have noticed a decline in catches in recent years. Concerned with falling numbers, district agriculture and forestry officials began looking for extra measures they could introduce to support pa khoun conservation.
“It is necessary to protect this fish species, otherwise it may disappear completely from the district if we cannot protect against over-fishing in the area,” said district Agriculture and Forestry Office Head Mr Somlith Vongphanakhone.
In collaboration with relevant authorities and the local community, the project will develop a fish conservation zone in the district, with a specific focus on pa khoun - an endangered species of catfish.
The pa khoun, which can weigh between 150 and 200 kilograms, migrate to Hom district in July to breed and spawn. The Khui and Nam Saan rivers meet in Hom district and this is the only known area where the fish breed and spawn, according to local authorities.
The conservation initiative aims to develop more effective regulations to protect fish stocks and enhance the capacity of district officials and the local community to monitor and patrol the numbers of fish caught and the areas fishing takes place.
The initiative will be led by the District Agriculture Office, while technical support will be provided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Living Aquatic Resource Research Centre (LARREC), and the Livestock and Fisheries Department.
An agreement to support the initiative was signed in Vientiane yesterday between the US Ambassador to Laos Ms Karen Stewart and the Country Representative of IUCN in Laos Ms Latsamay Sylavong.
Representatives from LARREC, the Livestock and Fisheries Department and Hom district authorities were also in attendance.
The conservation initiative will run for 15 months initially, after the signing of the agreement this week.
Ms Stewart said it is hoped the project will preserve fish breeding stocks in Hom district, which will be critical to the food security and nutrition of local people into the future.
Ms Latsamay said the initiative is not the first of its kind in Laos, but is the first in Hom district. It is essential for the district to focus on pa khoun as both a local and national flagship species. This sort of conservation initiative requires effective collaboration with the local community and authorities, she said.
Local fishermen as well as people from other districts traditionally descend on the rivers at this time of year. The area becomes packed with fishing boats as both local villagers and outsiders try to catch as many fish as possible while they are plentiful.
But Hom district authorities have noticed a decline in catches in recent years. Concerned with falling numbers, district agriculture and forestry officials began looking for extra measures they could introduce to support pa khoun conservation.
“It is necessary to protect this fish species, otherwise it may disappear completely from the district if we cannot protect against over-fishing in the area,” said district Agriculture and Forestry Office Head Mr Somlith Vongphanakhone.
