right now the river level in phnom penh is less then 1.5m above sea level

Mekong basin's vanishing fish signal tough times ahead in Cambodia
River waters fall to a record low as dams continue to be built, putting hundreds of species at risk
Zoe Osborne in Siem Riep
Mon 16 Dec 2019 11.30 GMT

“Snake, catfish, elephant fish …” he says, his eyes crinkled against the sun. “Before, a long time ago … the lake had a lot of catfish.”

But in just one generation, everything has changed. Fish species are dwindling, plant life is dying and the entire Mekong system is breaking apart. For the children gathered around Tbong, a plentiful Tonlé Sap is nothing but a story.

Situated in the heart of the lower Mekong basin, Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in south-east Asia. The lake and its surrounding floodplains were designated a Unesco biosphere reserve in 1997 and the lake supports the breeding, feeding and harvesting of hundreds of species of fish and other freshwater produce.

But this year the waters have fallen to a record low.

“Not only have the water levels across the lower Mekong River never been so low since the creation of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) in 1995, but the water is also unusually blue [due to the loss of suspended sediments],” says Marc Goichot, senior adviser for the WWF’s greater Mekong programme.

“Blue may be good for the Caribbean Sea, but for the Mekong it is not natural and bad news, [it’s] a big change in the ecosystem that will have a wide range of impacts including exposing vulnerable aquatic species to predators, weakening riverbanks [and] starving rice fields, mangroves and fish of the rich nutrients they need.”

While the climate crisis has exacerbated the problem – prompting even Jeremy Clarkson, host of the Grand Tour, to acknowledge the effects of the climate crisis for the first time – scientists have been warning of changes in the Mekong basin for decades.

The idea of damming the lower Mekong dates back to the cold war when the US, Soviet Union and China began to look at hydropower as a potential strategy for economic development. It gained momentum in the early 2000s. At the time, the MRC estimated that its four member states – Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand – could expect benefits of $30bn (£23bn).

But years later, the commission revised its projections, stating that the environmental losses associated with these dams outweighed any potential profit.
Full article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... mbodia-aoe

I noticed on google earth they have put 'dead zones' .. I was just searching for a location and wondered what all the fish bone symbols were everywhere.. then i had to look up 'dead zone'.

Areas where there are no fish due to nitrogen from fertilizer in the water and the algae growing on it and sucking up the oxygen - meaning fish cannot live there anymore.

There are literally hundreds of areas now... even Thailand and Vietnam.

I slagged off Greta Thunberg in a previous post and I regret doing it now.

This stuff is real and getting worse.

Have a look on Google Earth - it's an eye opener.

In reference to this post - the farmers are already claiming drought - the river level is well down - it's right there before our eyes.

I'm saving up to open an aquaponics farm - that's my contribution.

Do any posters have any experience or ideas???

Mishmash wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:14 am I noticed on google earth they have put 'dead zones' .. I was just searching for a location and wondered what all the fish bone symbols were everywhere.. then i had to look up 'dead zone'.

Areas where there are no fish due to nitrogen from fertilizer in the water and the algae growing on it and sucking up the oxygen - meaning fish cannot live there anymore.

There are literally hundreds of areas now... even Thailand and Vietnam.

I slagged off Greta Thunberg in a previous post and I regret doing it now.

This stuff is real and getting worse.

Have a look on Google Earth - it's an eye opener.

In reference to this post - the farmers are already claiming drought - the river level is well down - it's right there before our eyes.

I'm saving up to open an aquaponics farm - that's my contribution.

Do any posters have any experience or ideas???

When I looked up '' dead zone '' it showed a pic of God standing inside the pearly white gate and a sign saying ''Drop Dead Zone .

Mishmash wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:14 am I noticed on google earth they have put 'dead zones' .. I was just searching for a location and wondered what all the fish bone symbols were everywhere.. then i had to look up 'dead zone'.

Areas where there are no fish due to nitrogen from fertilizer in the water and the algae growing on it and sucking up the oxygen - meaning fish cannot live there anymore.

There are literally hundreds of areas now... even Thailand and Vietnam.

I slagged off Greta Thunberg in a previous post and I regret doing it now.

This stuff is real and getting worse.

Have a look on Google Earth - it's an eye opener.

In reference to this post - the farmers are already claiming drought - the river level is well down - it's right there before our eyes.

I'm saving up to open an aquaponics farm - that's my contribution.

Do any posters have any experience or ideas???

I know a little bit about the subject you mention, we could say it was a self-taught hobby to start with.
In the world of today learning new things is now made easier for us, with so much information on the internet, and even people and businesses offering training, and even hands on courses.
Even so if you are thinking about this, you will have to do it yourself, first starting, learning, planning a system that suits your need and growing, it can be trial and error, or you may buy a ready-made system.
The following maybe of interest to you, and you will find others around the country, this place is in Siem Reap, and at the foot of the page they mention aquaponics.

Easy Grow on Location: Hydroponics in Cambodia

The majority of customers are foreigners and higher-income Cambodians from Phnom Penh.
Offering free classes to students, the owner wants to share the trade with anyone who wants to learn and promote hydroponics to the people of Cambodia, even offering free starter packs to students. For others the classes are charged at $20 per person, with the starter packs being allowed to be taken home.

https://www.easy-grow.co.uk/hydroponics-in-cambodia/

Hydroponics is the more preferred way in this country, and there are commercial farmers scattered around, a more easy way to grow vegetables, being that you would just add the liquid nutrients out of a bottle into your system, but then you don’t have the fish stock, that I think you are aiming for in this case, and it must be better to have two products in one system. It certainly makes it more viable if all goes to plan.

I started many years ago, making test systems, or better still educational units, hydro or aquaponic, indoor or outdoor. I like variety, something where I have the choices, and most of all it works effective in its intended purpose.

These are the educational units -


Just the parts needed for the small system, pump, pipe and fixtures, growing medium.




This is a drip system, I find good for young plants.


Here we have a flood and drain system.


Indoor system with LED grow lights.


Again, all is adaptable and interchangeable, gives variation to the stages of growth.

It was something I also planned to do here on a commercial scale, following on what I had done in a neighbour country. Things were not to work out has planned, at the moment I have not found the right place, for a new venture.

AndyKK wrote: ↑Sat Dec 21, 2019 3:41 pm

Mishmash wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:14 am I noticed on google earth they have put 'dead zones' .. I was just searching for a location and wondered what all the fish bone symbols were everywhere.. then i had to look up 'dead zone'.

Areas where there are no fish due to nitrogen from fertilizer in the water and the algae growing on it and sucking up the oxygen - meaning fish cannot live there anymore.

There are literally hundreds of areas now... even Thailand and Vietnam.

I slagged off Greta Thunberg in a previous post and I regret doing it now.

This stuff is real and getting worse.

Have a look on Google Earth - it's an eye opener.

In reference to this post - the farmers are already claiming drought - the river level is well down - it's right there before our eyes.

I'm saving up to open an aquaponics farm - that's my contribution.

Do any posters have any experience or ideas???

I know a little bit about the subject you mention, we could say it was a self-taught hobby to start with.
In the world of today learning new things is now made easier for us, with so much information on the internet, and even people and businesses offering training, and even hands on courses.
Even so if you are thinking about this, you will have to do it yourself, first starting, learning, planning a system that suits your need and growing, it can be trial and error, or you may buy a ready-made system.
The following maybe of interest to you, and you will find others around the country, this place is in Siem Reap, and at the foot of the page they mention aquaponics.

Easy Grow on Location: Hydroponics in Cambodia

The majority of customers are foreigners and higher-income Cambodians from Phnom Penh.
Offering free classes to students, the owner wants to share the trade with anyone who wants to learn and promote hydroponics to the people of Cambodia, even offering free starter packs to students. For others the classes are charged at $20 per person, with the starter packs being allowed to be taken home.

https://www.easy-grow.co.uk/hydroponics-in-cambodia/

Hydroponics is the more preferred way in this country, and there are commercial farmers scattered around, a more easy way to grow vegetables, being that you would just add the liquid nutrients out of a bottle into your system, but then you don’t have the fish stock, that I think you are aiming for in this case, and it must be better to have two products in one system. It certainly makes it more viable if all goes to plan.

I started many years ago, making test systems, or better still educational units, hydro or aquaponic, indoor or outdoor. I like variety, something where I have the choices, and most of all it works effective in its intended purpose.

These are the educational units -


Just the parts needed for the small system, pump, pipe and fixtures, growing medium.




This is a drip system, I find good for young plants.


Here we have a flood and drain system.


Indoor system with LED grow lights.


Again, all is adaptable and interchangeable, gives variation to the stages of growth.

It was something I also planned to do here on a commercial scale, following on what I had done in a neighbour country. Things were not to work out has planned, at the moment I have not found the right place, for a new venture.

wow andykk. thanks for this great info. I am genuinely interested. the fish side interest me as is related to the stocks here going down so our science must go forward. i'm sorry you have not found the right place yet - me neither... i had an offer commercially which has fish farms already but the development is changing to a water park (eco). Like you I would rather do myself using own cash.... wait a while for I digest yr info.. is the best!!

The Thais and vietnamese are masters of aquaculture.
Serious science stuff if you want to compete with them.
Aussies are making it big with farming vegan crayfish - huge cost and enviro savings by feeding them lawn clippings.
Top dollar product for asian markets.Tropical conditions. Freshwater.
But they needed lots of long hard science to get there, and still use high-tech to farm profitably.

Maybe worth checking out tho', for cambodia. You probably don't need the high-tech/high-returns that big modern producers use. Downscale a bit?