| Abstract | Koh Kong province is famous for its abundance in production of fisheries, particularly
molluscs' species, because it has the largest productive estuarine area among the coastal
provinces in Cambodia. However, in recent years the fisheries production has been declining
drastically because of overfishing and destmction of mangrove forests, and there is an
immediate need to develop the coastal aquaculture systems reducing the strong dependence on
capture fisheries resources. In response this need, coastal aquaculture has developed in the
past several years, especially shrimp farming, but this aquaculture system was not financially
and environmentally acceptable.
This study was subdivided into two parts. The first part was concentrated on reviewing the
coastal natural resources; and government policy, laws, regulations and development plans
relevant to coastal aquaculture. The second part was based on the analysis of primary data
collected from existing aquafarmers. From this information the study aims to make a
preliminary identification of the potential of the most appropriate aquaculture systems, which
can be afforded by many coastal poor fishermen; from ecological, technical, institutional and
socioeconomic perspectives.
There are three aquaculture systems operating in the province. The most rapidly developed is
the shrimp industry, although shrimp farming is experiencing severe losses because of disease
prevalence. Grouper culture is being developed and established on the abandoned shrimp
ponds, stocked with wild fingerlings caught from the nearby estuarine areas. Green mussel
culture is also being practiced by fishermen and production has increased year to year since its
start in around 1993 with the total production of 450 MT and 1,000 MT in 1998. Results from
a narrow financial analysis show that green mussel culture is profitable and can generate an
average net profit of 13 Baht per pole (60,087 Baht per farm per year). Grouper farming is
seen as moderately profitable, generating an average net profit of 45,573 Baht per hectare per
year provided that harvested products have an access to the market. By contrast, shrimp
culture generates a negative return to investment, losing about 110,032 Baht per hectare per
year. Sensitivity analysis points out that the shrimp farming is only likely to be profitable
when the sale price increases by 20 percent, or when the production increases by 20 percent,
provided that management skills, culturing techniques and pond preparation practices are
improved and satisfactorily upgraded.
Recently, government policy has begun to address the development of coastal aquaculture. An
attempt has been made to establish a marine research institute based in Sihanoukville. From
this positive initiative, the Department of Fisheries in collaboration with non governmental
agencies and private sectors should immediately synthesize their development plans and
provide as much assistance as possible in an attempt to diversify coastal aquaculture systems
suitable to poor coastal inhabitants, but the development should proceed in a framework of
social and environmental sustainability. |