Cambodian news reports on this season's fish catches are inconsistent. Please bear with us: CEO News reports what is being reported.
[The article above says there are a lot of fish this season, while the article below says the contrary. We will report any further information on this season's fish catches, because it has been a difficult year for Cambodians, and a lack of a cheap and available fish supply would make life even more difficult for many citizens. ]
December 24, 2020
Fish for prahok running low

Many Cambodians who love to eat Prahok, a fermented fish paste, may not get to enjoy it as much as they want this time around due to the drop in the catch of natural fish.

The Ministry of Agriculture on its Facebook page said yesterday that the Fisheries Administration had revealed that there will be a drop in the catch of fish by 31 percent that is, from 14,300 tonnes last year to 9,900 tonnes this year.

The Minister of Agriculture, Veng Sakhon, said the decline in the catch of the freshwater fish was due to adverse weather conditions and lower water levels for the fish to spawn.

He added although the catch for fish has dropped tremendously, the production of Prahok was still in progress but on a smaller scale.

Due to the shortage of natural fish, he said, the price may be higher as compared to when there is a better catch.

Sakhon assured Cambodians that there will still be enough fish in the market in spite of a decline in the freshwater fish.

“Fish farming has increased by 30 percent and that is sufficient to meet the demand,” he added.

According to the ministry statistics, last year there was a catch of 326,500 tonnes while this year it was only about 268,000 tonnes. The profit from the aquaculture has increased by about 30 percent, as there was a better catch of 400,400 tonnes so far this year as compared with 307,408 tonnes in 2019.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50796693/f ... nning-low/

2021-22 Prahok Season

Cambodia news, (Phnom Penh): The Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced on January 6, 2022 regarding the fishing season 2021-2022, that the monitoring of the water level flowing from the Tonle Sap Lake indicates that there will be lots of prahok fish this week, and for longer if the sky remains clear, with no rain or storms.

According to the situation mentioned above, the Fisheries Administration would like to invite all citizens who wish to make prahok or smoked fish for annual consumption, please come and buy fish as soon as possible as above.
The Fisheries Administration would like to request the local authorities or relevant authorities to assist people to travel, stay, buy, and transport their fish products during the season.

Mr. Ngin Dy, Director of Phnom Penh Fisheries Administration, told Rasmei Kampuchea on January 8, 2022 that Phnom Penh has started to catch a lot of fish again, with 100 to 150 kilograms of fish for prahok every hour. Despite the notification of the Fisheries Administration, on January 8, not many people came to buy fish to make prahok. Not yet.

At night, the price of a kilogram of fish on the pier is 1,000 riel, and during the day, a few sellers reach 1,500 riel a kilo.

Oh great, I can't wait to have that pungent odour wafting up onto my balcony as I enjoy my morning coffee at 8am

'I love the smell of prahok in the morning'

UPDATE
Fisheries official predicts prahok season start date
Khouth Sophak Chakrya | Publication date 18 December 2022 | 20:05 ICT

As the moon waxes later in the month, the season for prahok fishing will arrive for those living along the river, stream, tributary in the provinces around the Tonle Sap Lake and River.

Fishermen in the Tonle Sap River in the north of Phnom Penh and Kandal province will be able to catch fish between the end of December and the beginning of January if the sky is clear, and there are no unexpected showers, say fisheries officers.

Ouch Vutha, director of the Department of Fisheries, told The Post that water levels in the Tonle Sap Lake are slowly receding, allowing fish to live in flooded areas and along the tributary systems of the upper Tonle Sap Lake. He predicted that the season for fishing for prahok, “pha’ak” and smoked fish would start on December 27-28, if the sky is clear.

“Depending on the current state of the Tonle Sap Lake water levels, fish traps and Dais along the Tonle Sap River in Phnom Penh and Kandal provinces may catch more fish at the end of December or early January, as long as there is no rain or heavy fog,” he said.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... start-date

Prahok season started in the office lunchroom today. goddamn. it was evil.
i get why locals here arent bothered by living next to open sewage canals
really i thought some over worked mom was changing her baby at work

Come and Get It ! Prahok Season has Started !

Cambodia News, (Phnom Penh): Fishermen are now catching prahok fish along the river in Kandal province, up to a ton of fish at a time, with a price at the port from 2,200 to 2,500 riel per kilogram of fish.The Tonle Sap water is flowing at a moderate speed until mid-January 2023, and the fishermen are ready for the buyers.

Mr. Ngin Dy, Director of Phnom Penh Fisheries Administration, said today that the prahok fish catch has significantly increased since yesterday, 28 December. He added that fishing conditions are good this year: the water levels of the Tonle Sap river are average for the season, the water flow is moderate, and the weather is expected to remain ideal for fishing over at least the next 3 weeks.

Fisheries Harvests in Phnom Penh and Kandal Up 40 Percent in 2022-2023
AKP Phnom Penh, January 05, 2023 -- 

Fisheries catches in Phnom Penh capital and Kandal province increased by 40 percent hitting 1,481 tonnes in 2022-2023.
The good news was shared in a press release dated Jan. 3 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The 40 percent increase was compared to the base in 2021-2022 wherein 890 tonnes of catches were recorded.

Some 8,000 people have joined in making Cambodia’s traditional fermented fish (locally called Prahok and Pha-ok), fish sauce and smoked fish.

The rising fish catches reflects an increase in the number of freshwater fish thanks to an effective prevention of illegal fishing.
Moving forward, the ministry will continue to strike a balance between fisheries conservation and harvests, not only in the Tonle Sap but also in the Upper Mekong River.
By Phal Sophanith
AKP