Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has announced that fishing for seahorses and selling them in markets is now illegal. Anyone caught fishing for seahorses or selling them will face fines and legal action.
Ouk Vibol, director of the Department of Fisheries Conservation at the Fisheries Administration of the MAFF, said that because seahorses are endangered they are protected under Sub-Decree – “On Determination of a Tax on Fisheries and Endangered Fishery Products”.
He added that officials are aware that the population of seahorses is declining.
“We are now classifying seahorses as an endangered species. We no longer allow fishing for them. It is illegal to catch them or to sell them. If anyone violates this new instruction, we will fine them,” he said yesterday.
Vibol said that he sees the people posting advertisement of seahorses for sale on Facebook pages and that the situation is cause for great concern.
He added if fishermen and sellers continue marketing seahorses, then there was no doubt that after a few years, these precious and rare species will be lost forever from the waters of Cambodia.
He said that fishermen do not use special fishing gear to catch seahorses. They are usually caught by trawling squid fishing nets on the seabed.
Vibol added that the MAFF is educating fishermen who want to catch this type of seahorse. One lesson they try to get across to the fishermen is that if they find seahorses in their fishing gear, they must promptly return them to the sea so they can survive.
He added that members of the public should also participate in the effort to stamp out seahorse sales by refusing to buy them from fishermen, traders and markets.
He said also that ordinary citizens can speak up and cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries if they have any information that might help catch seahorse fishermen and traders.
The director of the Kampot Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Chan Rith, said yesterday that in the province, it was not common to find fishermen selling seahorses or other endangered species in local markets.
He added that Kampot provincial authorities have always cooperated with the Fisheries Administration to educate and advise fishermen and traders not to market rare species like giant saltwater dolphins and other protected species.
“I often advise fishermen not to fish for rare species. I tell them that anyone who continues violating the law could face fines and legal action,” he said.