SBR- Content.pmd - INBO

State of the Basin Report - 20033.1.2 Northeast ThailandAquaculture in Northeast Thailand has expanded significantly over the past ten years. Fish culturein ponds, rice fields, ditches and cages contributes over 33,500 tonnes per year, according to officialDepartment of Fisheries statistics. These statistics underestimate total production since small-scaleproducers are not included. With production from small-scale operations estimated to be in excessof 30,000 tonnes per year, a conservative estimate for the total annual aquaculture production is65,000 tonnes. 139Pond culture makes the biggest contribution to total production. Both exotic and indigenous speciesare produced. Species include a mixture of indigenous catfish, snakeheads, silver barb and exoticspecies including tilapias, and Chinese andIndian carps. Pond culture is based largelyon the use of agricultural by-products, suchas manures and vegetable matter, inorganicfertilisers and the increasing use of pelleteddiets. Larger integrated farms are foundaround urban centres where organic matterfrom pigs and chickens and agro-industrialprocessing wastes are readily available.Rice-fish culture is also practiced.Cage culture of tilapia, supported by largeragro-industrial concerns, has expanded inthe past three years in reservoirs and theMekong mainstream. Cage culture of rivercatfish (Pangasius bocourti andPangasianodon hypophthalmus) usingwild seed is also conducted in the Mekong River, and its expansion can be anticipated if the breedingtechnologies become more widely adopted. Northeast Thailand is also an important supplier ofseed and feed to areas in Lao PDR bordering the Mekong River.3.1.3 CambodiaIn Cambodia, over 80 percent of aquaculture productioncomes from cages and pens in the Great Lake and the TonleSap, Mekong and Bassac Rivers. 140 The major species areriver catfish and snakeheads. Juvenile river catfish andsnakeheads are collected from the wild fishery. Pondculture and farming fish in rice fields is less developed inCambodia, although its importance has been increasing inrecent years as a result of NGO and international donorassistedprojects.Floating fish feed factory in An Giang Province,Viet Nam. The feed is produced from dried fish (mostlyimported from Cambodia) and used in the cage cultureof Pangasiid catfishes in Viet Nam.There are two basic pond systems used in Cambodia.Intensive catfish culture is common in and around PhnomPenh and Kandal Province near urban markets. Fishfingerlings are collected from the wild, held in smallponds, and intensively fed rice bran or wild fish whenthese are abundant. The second type is low-input pondRice fields are important for aquaticanimal production122