A book that draws on Mekong River Commission research about fisheries and the environment has been published.

The Living Mekong shows how the Mekong's seasonal rise and fall shapes daily life for the people who live on and around it, in matters from transport to festivals to fish trap design. By world standards, the Mekong fishery is immense in scale, producing around 2.5 million tons of wild fish a year, or roughly two per cent of the entire world catch. In numbers of fish species, the Mekong is second only to the Amazon.

This unique collection of photographs takes us beyond the familiar postcard views of the Mekong to sites rarely seen by the public; from secluded natural pools known only to local fishers, to factory floors that package the fillets appearing on restaurant platters all over the world. Aerial images, captured from helicopters, show habitats that are critical to the survival of many species.

This book will appeal to everyone with a heart for this mighty river, an eye for a fast-changing way of life and a mind for the choices the Mekong's people face today.

Photographer Joe Garrison travelled far and wide to capture the scenes depicted in The Living Mekong. An environmental toxicologist by training, Joe previously worked as a research consultant with the Mekong River Commission's fisheries programme. During this time he was able to document the lives of fishing communities and their rapidly changing environment in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Delia Paul is a researcher and writer on environment and development issues who has lived in the Mekong region for many years, working with leading agencies for environmental management and poverty reduction. The Living Mekong draws on research about fisheries and the environment by the Mekong River Commission and the World Wide Fund for Nature.

The Living Mekong is available through Silkworm Books at: http://www.silkwormbooks.com/each_titles/e_sea/2009/living-mekong.html

For more information, contact:

Damian Kean, Communication Advisor,
Tel: +(856 20) 559 9139.
e-mail: damian@mrcmekong.org - or

Khy Lim, Communications Officer,
Tel: +(856 20) 4381695.
E-mail: khy@mrcmekong.org.

Website: www.mrcmekong.org