Asia has the most productive inland fisheries
in the world. The fishery sector contributes
significantly to the national economies of the
region (Revenga et al. 2000). Inland fisheries
also improve food security by providing a
source of protein and a livelihood for millions of
people in this part of the world, especially the
rural poor. However, increasing competition
for water resources, unregulated fishing and
high population growth in riparian countries
of major river basins have put mounted
pressure on these resources and contributed
to increasing threats to fisheries production.
The values of river fisheries are numerous
(details in Cowx et al. 2004). The purpose
of this report is to provide information on
the biological, economic, social and cultural
values of river fisheries in the Lower Mekong
Basin, and to identify the main impacts of
environmental changes on these values. A
review of fisheries-related literature, including
project reports and gray literature, was
undertaken. More than 800 documents
were reviewed, and original information was
extracted from 270 of them. The analysis
identified a large number of localized studies
leading to generic conclusions.