Quantifying biophysical and community impacts of improved fish passage in Lao PDR and Myanmar

Project Summary

The Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) fishery — the world’s most productive inland fishery — is being put under mounting pressure from the development of irrigation infrastructure, hydropower dams and road crossings.

This project advances a program of work that started as a proof-of-concept study (FIS/2006/183), before progressing to a research and implementation phase and now to a monitoring/evaluation phase to assess impact. The overarching objective of this project is to examine whether fishway technology in Mekong countries can be successfully applied to restore declining fisheries.

Project Details

Project Period
2016 – 2021

Project Funding
$2.6M (ACIAR)

Project Location
Lao PDR and Myanmar

Objectives

To evaluate colonisation of riverine species in seasonal wetlands.
Quantify whether there is an annual increase in capture fishery production at sites where fishways have been constructed.
Quantify, in social and economic terms, the options for constructing fishways at riverine infrastructure.
To promote the uptake of project outputs.

Team Members

Prof. Lee Baumgartner (IFRG)
Dr Vu Vi An (An)
Mr Peter Collier (IFRG)
Dr John Conallin (IFRG)
Dr Bethany Cooper (University of South Australia)
Prof. Lin Crase (University of South Australia)
Dr Ann Flemming (ACIAR)
Mrs Khampheng Homsombath (LARReC)
Mr Tim Marsden (Australasian Fish Passage Services)
Dr Nathan Ning (IFRG)
Dr Oudom Phonekhampheng (NUoL)
Dr Wayne Robinson (IFRG)
Mr Douangkham Singhanouvong (LARReC)
Mr Garry Thorncraft (NUoL)

Project Partners

Charles Sturt University (CSU)
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
National University of Laos (NUoL)
Living Aquatic Resources Research Centre (LARReC (Lao PDR))
University of South Australia
Australasian Fish Passage Services