Cambodia’s fisheries sector is linked to aquaculture the aquatic environment, notably through the Mekong River and Great Lake, Tonle Sap. Cambodians are among the largest consumers of fish in the world with per capita consumption of 63 kg/person/year. However, fisheries resources and aquatic ecosystems are under increasing pressure from developments such as hydroelectric dams, increased water extraction for irrigation and pollution from pesticides and fertilisers. Hence the Strategic Planning Framework for Fisheries 2015-2024 sees the need to only maintain annual freshwater fisheries production at 500,000 tonnes.

Aquaculture is growing quite rapidly, and takes many different forms - from very extensive enhanced rice field fisheries to intensive pangasius, snakehead and hybrid catfish culture. The government has set a 20% growth rate target for aquaculture, and there is significant potential for a wide range of sustainable aquaculture activities at different scales in marine and freshwater environments. At present 90% of aquaculture is from freshwater systems.

Pond and cage culture of higher value fish using lower value fish as feed has been undertaken for centuries, and has served both as a storage mechanism (utilisation of seasonally abundant fish) and as a means of “adding value” to a cheap and abundant resource. Low value “trash” fish from both freshwater and marine resources continue to be used as an important feed input to the rapidly growing aquaculture sector.

However, the Cambodia National Aquaculture Development Strategy 2016-2030 indicates that on-farm feeds are of mixed quality, with formulations often sub-optimal and storage protocols inadequate. Imported pellets are also sometimes of poor quality or inadequately labelled. Feeding strategies may also be wasteful. Poor feed or feeding practices often generate much higher levels of waste, and this in turn may cause water quality problems. Hence a wide range of actions can be taken to increase the efficiency of feed use. These include:

• Better quality control of imported feeds.
• Research on improved feed formulations, storage and handling appropriate to different species.
• Improved information and extension relating to the costs and benefits of different feed types, formulations, and feeding strategies.
• Establishment of an aquaculture feed mill in Cambodia.
• Research to identify more “feed efficient” fish with good market potential.