Pollution, Overfishing Threaten Important Cambodian Lake

 

A rich fishery in Southeast Asia is at risk because of overfishing, pollution and hydroelectric dams.

The Tonle Sap is a freshwater lake in the middle of Cambodia. The lake shrinks and expands by thousands of kilometers, depending on the season.

The Tonle Sap is home to hundreds of kinds of fish. Fishing crews catch as much as 300,000 tons of fish in the lake every year. The fish are said to provide Cambodia with up to 60 percent of its protein needs.

But things are changing.

Luan Chanti fishes at the Tonle Sap.

“In the past, we would catch lots of fish using our nets, but now there are so many people fishing here that we are not catching¹ much anymore. That means we are making much less fish paste than before.”

Luan Chanti adds that the water level is always low now, and the water smells bad.

Too much fishing is reducing the number of fish, while fish spawning² grounds are disappearing. In addition, dams are preventing the natural movement of some fish species.

Some Cambodians fear the problems could get worse.

Om Savath works for a coalition³ of non-governmental organizations known as the Fisheries Action Coalition Team.

“There are plans to build more dams up stream in Laos. In Cambodia, we already have a dam. We are worried the electric dams will effect the fish migration⁴ and reproduction rates. The dams have also slowed down the rate of water flowing into the lake, and affect the water quality in the Mekong River.”

The Tonle Sap is dying. In 2016, several environmental groups named it the world’s most threatened lake. There are fewer fish to feed Cambodians. At the same time, more people are depending on fishing to earn their living.

Government agencies say they are doing what they can. Om Savath says non-governmental organizations also are helping⁵.

“We are continuing to work with the fishermen in the region to try to fix the problems. We have had many meetings with the parties. Just this morning, we filed out latest report with the Ministry⁶ of the Environment, and soon they will be discussing with us what we should do.”

Some Cambodians fear that the lack of fish will cause a migration problem for the country in the future. They say thousands of people who earn money from the lake may move to the cities to look for work.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

spawning - adj. of or related to production of eggs in the water

migrate - v. to move from one area to another at different times of the year; to move from one place to another for purposes of employment

1 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

2 spawning   

产卵

参考例句：

• Encounter sites have a small chance of spawning a "Commander" NPC. 遭遇战地区有很小的几率遇到NPC指挥官。
• Instantly revives your Champion at your Spawning Pool, 9 minute cooldown. 立即在出生地复活你的英雄，冷却时间9分钟。

3 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

4 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。