This edition highlights growing investment in fisheries-related activities in the Lower Mekong — from a $17 million project to develop soybean feed in Cambodia to a $174 million broodstock development and farming site in the Mekong Delta in Viet Nam. In the ornamental fish sector, we feature the recent groundbreaking for a large new aquarium in Siem Reap, part of the first phase of a US-Cambodian-Japanese venture to develop an $70 million wildlife park near the Tonle Sap Lake. Elsewhere, we look at the importance of fisheries in northeast Thailand and the recent redesign of the Xayaburi hydropower project in northern Lao PDR.

Table of Contents

4 Tourism
Angkor aquarium project launched by US-Cambodian-Japanese venture

12 Aquaculture (1)
Mekong Delta company breaks ground on ambitious Vietnamese catfish project


16 Aquaculture (2)
Vietnamese catfish exports surge 26.5 pct to record $2.26 bln in 2018


18 Chelonians
River guardians protect giant turtle eggs

20 Fish diversity
Updated MRC database estimates 1,148 fish species in Mekong Basin

22 Fish feed
US soybean group launches $17 mln project for fish feed in Cambodia

26 Climate (1)
Forecasts see 70 to 80 pct chance of El Niño developing this year

28 Climate (2)
Two El Niño niclimate scenarios for the region

32 Northeast Thailand
New rice, tasty fish

42 New publications
Redesigning the Xayaburi project

 

Download this issue Vol 25, No 1

Contributions

Contributions to Catch and Culture may be sent to peterstarr@mac.com and copied to mrcs@mrcmekong.org

© Mekong River Commission 2019

Editorial Panel:

    • Tran Minh Khoi, Director of Environmental Management Division
    • So Nam, Chief Environmental Management Officer
    • Phattareeya Suanrattanachai, Fisheries Management Specialist
    • Prayooth Yaowakhan, Ecosystem and Wetland Specialist
    • Nuon Vanna, Fisheries and Aquatic Ecology Officer
    • Dao Thi Ngoc Hoang, Water Quality Officer


Editor: Peter Starr
Designers: Chhut Chheana
Associate Editor: Michele McLellan

The opinions and interpretation expressed within are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Mekong River Commission