High hopes for fishing season
The largest fish harvest of the year is approaching, and Phnom Penh’s fish markets are about to get busy.
In short, it’s December and so prahok season is upon us.
A traditional Cambodian fish paste, prahok is made from fermented Siamese mud carp called trey riel in Khmer.
Along the Mekong, fishermen are preparing to fill their nets with the heavy catches. …
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the yield for the 2012-2013 season fell by 28,000 tonnes compared with the previous harvest.
Trey reil sells for 800 to 1,500 riel ($0.2 to $0.385) per kilogram, though the bigger fish can fetch up to 5,000 riel per kilogram. Cambodians from nearby provinces flock to the markets for trey riel.
Prahok is common at the Cambodian dinner table, but the fish paste is also popular in neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam. …
Chan Muy Hong
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/high-hopes-fishing-season
