Aquatic Fauna and Aquaculture

Abstract

AbstractThe inundated area of the seasonally flooded habitats in Tonle Sap Lake varies from 1314 km2 to 5343 km2. The water level varies from 2 to >5 m at the beginning of the rainy season (July–August) and reaches 8–9 m in October. In this large floodplain, fishes are strongly adapted to the seasonal flood-pulse dynamics and habitat types. The Tonle Sap Authority’s inventory in 2010–2019 listed 167 fish species, belonging to 12 orders, 35 families, and 94 genera. More than 70% of the total fish sampled were found to belong to the order of Cypriniformes, Siluriformes, and Perciformes. The relationship between species diversity and heterogeneous habitats provides useful information for better understanding of their life cycles in the Tonle Sap Lake (TSL) ecosystem, which is critically important for the conservation of their diversity and productivity. Aquaculture by cage is mostly practiced in the flooding villages. Around 6520 cages and 210 ponds have been designed for fish farming in and directly around TSL, including 650 cages for crocodile farms.