SBR- Content.pmd - INBO

State of the Basin Report - 20034.1.3 Insects - water bugs, beetles and othersInsects are an important source of supplementaryprotein for local communities throughout the year,and more significantly, in the early dry season. Atleast 14 kinds of aquatic insects are known to beconsumed in Northeast Thailand and other LMBcountries. 152 The most commonly eaten are giantwater bugs (Lethocerus indicus: Belostomatidae)or mangda (in Laotian and Thai), beetles (mainlyDystiscidae), dragonfly larvae (Odonata) (mang nioor mang rangum), and blackflies (Simuliidae).Aquatic insects are mainly harvested in Novemberand December, as the water in rice fields and pondsdries up. Some insects are caught in water bodiesby women and children using a circular basket madeof bamboo, while flying adult insects are attracted by flourescent lamps fixed to poles and caughtwhen they land on a sheet of plastic beneath the light. Some insects are stewed with vegetables orgrilled in banana leaves with spices, while Simuliidae are used as an ingredient in soup.Unlike other aquatic insects, mangda are used to flavor other foods, rather than eaten on their own.In Thailand, especially in the Northeast, where mangda are widely consumed, their essence isextracted and bottled for sale in local grocery stores. Due to the high levels of pesticides andfertilisers used in farming in Thailand, the catch of mangda has greatly declined in recent years andas a result, mangda are now an exported from Cambodia, through the border town of Poipet. At theborder, mangda are sold for $90 per kg (about 100 insects/kg). The mangda trade from Cambodiato Thailand is estimated to be several tonnes per year.4.1.4 Amphibians - frogs and toadsSeveral species of frog are commonly consumed in the basin. Large frogs such as Hoplobatrachusrugalosa are hunted for domestic consumption and local trade. Frogs are most abundant and easilycaught in large quantities at the beginning of the rainy season, in May and June. Hunters use torchlights to search for frogs at night in the rain. In southern Lao PDR, the average catch is between 3-5 kg per night. 153 The average rainy season catch (in 2-3 months) around Beoung Thom Lake is 20-30 kg/family/year, or 3.6 tonnes from the four villages surveyed. The excess amount is sold inneighbouring villages or markets at $0.75-1.00/kg, which is equal to one day’s wage for farm labourin Cambodia. 154Tadpoles are collected by methods similar to thoseused with the aquatic stages of insects. They arewidely consumed in Northeast Thailand, andconsidered a delicacy by city people. One kilogramsells for as much as $5 – two to three times theprice of fish.Mangda, large water insects, which are caughtin rice fields and wetlands in Cambodia are soldat the Thai border for $90 per kiloFrogs are key sources of protein for rural familiesduring the peak of the dry season (March to May),when fish and other aquatic animals are scarce.Frogs hibernate in the dry season, and usually areFrogs are an important source of animal proteinfrom March to May when fish are scarce128