Kratie meet pushes dolphin protection
Residents of Kratie province had an education in conservation yesterday as the government and outside partners reiterated a September sub-decree banning gill nets on a sizable stretch of the Mekong in a bid to protect the badly endangered Mekong River dolphin. Touch Seang Tana, head of the Commission for Mekong Dolphin Conservation and Ecotourism Development, told workshop attendees that prohibiting gill nets could cause fishermen’s catches to shrink, but maintained that it would give them an opportunity to ultimately boost their incomes by offering dolphin-watching excursions and souvenirs. … The government sub-decree, which went into effect on September 25, bans “the usage of all kinds of gill nets in the core zone” – which extends 180 kilometers into Kratie from the Lao border – “during both the dry and the rainy season”.
