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Project Record
Reservoir Fisheries Management in Savannkat Province. Laos
Start Date: 01/06/1995
End Date: 30/05/1997
R Number: R6338CB
DFID Programme: Fisheries Management Science
Funding Department: Central Research Department
Related Documents: View Related Documents
Managing Institute: Marine Resources Assessment Group Limited (MRAG)
Lead Institute: Marine Resources Assessment Group Limited (MRAG)
Collaborating Institute: Livestock and Veterinary Section, Agriculture and Forestry Division, Lao
Regions: Asia, Eastern Asia, South-Eastern Asia
Countries: Lao People's Democratic Republic
Objectives:
To devise management strategies to increase the individual and community income from reservoir capture and culture fisheries, while maintaining the role of reservoirs in providing subsistence and dry season habitat for natural fish populations.
Background:
The pressure on reservoir fish resources in Savannakhet is increasing rapidly, due to the demand for fish protein by a growing population, and in the increasing demand by individuals and communities for cash income. Some communities have now started to intensify fish production in their communal reservoirs by means of introductions and stocking, but technical knowledge in this respect is lacking. Also, intensification has in some cases led to restrictions of subsistence uses of such water bodies, which might disadvantage some sections of the communities.Intended Outputs:
Biological and economic assessments of fisheries enhancement options.Assessment of the social and environmental impacts of enhancement options.
Progress and Impact:
Enhancement as currently practised in community fisheries can raise significant community income, has a negative but generally marginal effect on individual fish consumption and income from fishing, and protects stocks of wild fish in the enhanced waterbodies. Substantial improvements in overall yield and community benefits are technically feasible, but would require improved marketing. Improvements in individual benefits are also possible and desirable, not least to ensure the institutional sustainability of enhanced fisheries, but may require more complex institutional arrangements. The results suggest various ways of improving management, but substantial uncertainties remain which would best be resolved through an adaptive approach to futher development efforts aimed at small waterbodies.Project Conclusions:
The technical effects, socio-economic benefits and costs, and key institutional aspects of alternative management and development options for reservoir fisheries in Savannakhet have been analysed. Results indicate that, while enhancement as currently practised does not increase yields, it has substantial benefits in terms of community income, conservation of wild stocks, and increased returns to labour. Low effective demand appears to be the main factor limiting yields from community fisheries, and improvements in marketing and/or access arrangements are crucial to increasing yields. Communities are actively experimenting with management regimes to identify improvements, and this process may be facilitated by appropriate support from the provincial government. The reduction in fishing effort and increase in wild stocks observed in community fisheries shows how enhancement, by precipitating institutional change, may contribute to a more sustainable exploitation of aquatic resources. This potential should be explored further. Overall, the project results are a significant step towards an integrated understanding of enhanced fisheries systems.Total Cost to DFID:
£45,400
MIS Number: 696656001
Publications:
Lorenzen K, Garaway CJ and Charnsingh B. (in prep) Impact of stocking and access restrictions on fish stocks and yields in small water bodies in Savannakhet, Laos. To be submitted to Journal of Fish Biology.Lorenzen K and Garaway CJ (1998). How predictable is the outcome of stocking? In: Inland Fisheries Enhancements. FAO-DFID Expert Consultation, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Petr, T (ed). FAO Fisheries Technical Paper No 374. 133-152. FAO, Rome
Lorenzen K, Garaway CJ, Chamsingh B and Warren TJ (1998). Effects of access restrictions and stocking on small water body fisheries in Laos. Journal of Fish Biology 53 (Supplement A): 345-357
Lorenzen K (1997). Fisheries enhancement research: getting the wider picture and dealing with uncertainty. Aquaculture News (June): 23.
Paper File Reference:
NRD 9800 522/792/002Associated References:
Builds on outputs from R5023 and R5958