A key issue for all four countries sharing the Lower Mekong
Basin is the extent to which dams will act as a barrier to fish
migration and how this will affect people whose livelihoods
depend on such migrations.
In this issue, we look at the distribution of benefits that dams may bring to future generations and why it is better to have a cascade of several dams on one tributary rather than one dam on each of several tributaries. As Cambodia’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Chan Sarun warns elsewhere in this issue, developing dams and canals without impact assessments will have negative impacts on fish migrations. In relation to hydropower development, we also look at deep pools, which provide critical dry-season habitals for migrating fish. Recent pilot testing to estimate fish abundance and biodiversity in deep pools has yielded promising results, especially in Cambodia and Viet Nam. A full-scale survey of up to six pools in each of the four lower basin countries is now planned for early next year. At the same time, a Deep Pools Atlas is being developed.
This edition takes a detailed look at the health risks associated with a liver fluke that is endemic in parts of the lower basin where people eat uncooked freshwater fish and other aquatic animals. We also examine how the recent meltdown of the Vietnamese equity market affected five catfish-processing companies listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange during the first half of this year. The bad news is that investors wiped almost US$190 million off the value of these companies in six months. The good news is that exports are still booming, especially to Europe and Russia.
The special insert in this issue is devoted to Lao fisheries management—not only annual fish release ceremonies but also other efforts such as institutional capacity-building and the development of local regulations to protect river habitats. We would particularly like to thank the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) for helping us to prepare this timely supplement.
Please note that the final installment in our three-part series on hydrology has been postponed to the next issue to take account of recent extreme floods across northern parts of the basin.