National Fish Day

3 July, 2007 in Cambodia, Fish by Maylee Thavat | Comment

Mien Dtuk Mien Dtrey - Have Water, Have Fish

July 1st was National Fish Day in Cambodia.

Fish comes in as a close second to rice as Cambodia’s most important food stuff, and is usually fermented into fish paste known as prahoc. Cambodia’s foremost food blogger and Australian expatriate has the low down on this fishy treat

Given the significance of fish in the Cambodian diet it was indeed alarming to read this, in the Mekong River Commission’s bi-annual newsletter Catch and Culture

Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned that population pressures, severe poverty and unequal access to the benefits of economic growth are exerting an “enormous risk” on the ecological system of the Tonle Sap Lake. “The lake is facing a serious threat of overexploitation and its ecosystem has turned quite fragile. Honestly, if this problem is not addressed decisively and soon enough, Cambodia could face a serious environmental disaster,” he told a national forum on the Tonle Sap sponsored by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in March.

It seems perhaps that the old Cambodian adage, “have water have fish” may no longer hold water (excuse the bad pun)