Latest news with #fishery
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Cambodian women turn tide in seafood trade, now other nations want in
PHNOM PENH, May 31 — Cambodian women are stepping up in the fishery products sector, transforming their roles from traditional producers to key players in the global market. Enterprising women entrepreneurs, dominating at least 60 per cent of the micro and small informal enterprises, are now upgrading their post-harvest processing skills in the fishery sector to penetrate high-end markets. The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation's (UNIDO) CAPFISH-Capture – a post-harvest fisheries development project – is helping Cambodian women to upskill, shifting from their archaic fish processing techniques to world-recognised standards. 'We supported over 51 fishery enterprises and their value chain actors in upgrading their businesses. Thirty-five of these enterprises are led by women and three persons with disabilities. 'We are now linking them with global buyers from the EU (European Union). Some of the enterprises have already started exporting to China, South Korea and Australia,' UNIDO's CAPFISH-Capture Chief Technical Advisor Dr Shetty Seetharama Thombathu told Bernama. CAPFISH-Capture is a five-year project, co-funded by the European Union and implemented by UNIDO in coordination with the Cambodia Fisheries Administration. Fishing is a vital economic lifeline for Cambodia. About six million people are employed both directly and indirectly in the domestic fisheries sector. The post-harvest fishery activities alone employ an estimated 33,000 workers, the majority of them are women. Fish remains a staple diet for Cambodians and their per capita consumption of fish is 54 kilogrammes, considered higher among its Asean peers. Cambodian Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry revealed that total fisheries and aquaculture production reached 926,936 metric tonnes last year. Locally-made fishery products – fish sauce, fermented fish, fish balls, and smoked fish – are widely produced but seldom exported due to a lack of value addition and food safety compliance. According to UNIDO, Cambodia's low competitiveness in terms of value addition makes it tough to compete in the domestic market flooded with imported fishery products and, at the same time, unable to enter regional or global markets. The CAPFISH-Capture project has stepped in to revitalise this untapped lucrative sector to compete with high-quality international exporters by equipping local producers with modern techniques. 'The ultimate goal is to boost the competitiveness of the fishery products to promote trade, both domestic and export, and to protect public health by ensuring safe and high-quality fishery products for consumers. 'We work on various issues and elements of the value chain such as governance, food safety, capacity building and skills development, marketing and branding, access to finance, research and development, gender empowerment, environment and climate resilience,' said Shetty. Cambodia's new success story is going beyond its borders. Neighbouring Indonesia and the Philippines, where the fishing industry plays a critical role in their economy, are recognising the CAPFISH-Capture project. Meanwhile, Egypt, Chile and Kyrgyzstan have expressed their willingness to replicate UNIDO's training model. 'Listing Cambodia as an eligible country to export to the EU is our main goal. We have already established all the requirements to meet EU food safety requirements and are ready for an audit by DG SANTE (European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety),' said Shetty. Cambodian women are now shining in the often-neglected and shunned occupation by many due to its laborious work and paltry income. But the fortunes could now favour them. — Bernama
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
CDFW adjusts salmon releases in Sacramento River
In a significant shift of California's salmon strategy, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has begun releasing juvenile fall-run Chinook salmon from CDFW-operated hatcheries into the main stem of the Sacramento River for the first time. The release of approximately 3.5 million fall-run Chinook salmon smolts into the main stem of the Sacramento River occurred in mid-April near Redding and Butte City. The fish originated from increased production at CDFW's hatchery operations at the Feather River Fish Hatchery and the Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery. CDFW-operated salmon hatcheries historically have supported populations on their home rivers elsewhere in the Central Valley. 'We strongly support the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's bold decision to release salmon smolts directly into the main stem of the Sacramento River – a historic first that gives juvenile fish a fighting chance at survival,' said Scott Artis, executive director at Golden State Salmon Association. 'With Sacramento fall-run Chinook returns at crisis levels, and fishing families and businesses having been impacted since 2023, this innovative move is exactly the kind of action we need. We applaud the tireless hatchery staff who made this possible and stand with them in the effort to rebuild our salmon runs and revive California's commercial and recreational fisheries.' 'The naturally spawning Sacramento River salmon populations have been the primary driver of California's commercial and recreational salmon fisheries for decades,' said Jay Rowan, CDFW Fisheries branch chief. 'Poor spawning and migration conditions for fall-run Chinook during the past two droughts have resulted in low returning adult numbers the last three years. These low adult returns not only affected fishing seasons but also reduced the number of spawning adults and, consequently, the number of juvenile salmon available to take advantage of the good river conditions to rebound this part of the run. The extra effort by our hatchery staff to maximize production has allowed us to take measures this year to speed up the rebuilding of these critical Sacramento River natural spawning areas. This significant shift in strategy speaks to CDFW's long-term commitment to boosting these important salmon populations.' The 3.5 million fish being released into the main stem of the Sacramento River are part of an additional 9.7 million salmon produced in 2025 above normal production goals, funded in partnership with ocean and inland fishing groups. CDFW's hatchery operations, in coordination with the state Department of Water Resources, East Bay Municipal Utility District, and the federal Bureau of Reclamation, will raise and release more than 28 million fall-run Chinook salmon in total in 2025. CDFW's Sacramento River salmon releases are being timed with increases in water flows that have been shown to improve survival in their journey to the Pacific Ocean and also with salmon releases from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Coleman National Fish Hatchery in Shasta County to overwhelm predators with a massive volume of released fish. Additionally, CDFW has provided the Coleman National Fish Hatchery with 10 million salmon eggs to help meet its production goals and offset low adult salmon returns to the federal fish hatchery located on Battle Creek about 3 miles east of the Sacramento River in Anderson. The juvenile salmon released into the Sacramento River are expected to imprint on the main stem during their migration to the ocean, which in three years upon their return to freshwater is expected to increase the number of adults utilizing important natural spawning areas within the main stem.
