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Probarbus jullieni and Probarbus labeamajor : the management and conservation of two of the largest fish species in the Mekong River in southern Laos
Author(s) -
Baird Ian G.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
aquatic conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1099-0755
pISSN - 1052-7613
DOI - 10.1002/aqc.763
Subject(s) - catch per unit effort , iucn red list , fishery , fishing , endangered species , geography , threatened species , mekong river , stock (firearms) , structural basin , ecology , biology , paleontology , archaeology , habitat
1. Probarbus jullieni and Probarbus labeamajor are two of the largest carps in the Mekong River Basin, each reaching a maximum weight of about 70 kg. P. jullieni is listed in Appendix 1 of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species, and both are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the first as ‘endangered’ and the second as ‘data deficient’. 2. Six years of quantitative monitoring of a large‐meshed gill net fishery for Probarbus just below the Khone Falls in Khong district, Champasak province, in southern Laos shows that 78% of the overall catch is comprised of Probarbus , with P. jullieni making up 65% of landings. 3. Over the 6‐year period catches of Probarbus declined significantly. However, catch‐per‐unit effort statistics do not indicate that the fishery is in decline, although fishers are convinced that real stock reductions are a large part of the reason for catch declines and decreases in fishing effort. 4. A number of ecological and social factors are affecting the number and quality of gill nets in use, the length of fishing seasons, and gill net efficiency, making it difficult to compare catch‐per‐unit effort between years. 5. There has been a shift from using large‐meshed gill nets for catching Probarbus to targeting smaller species using gill nets with smaller mesh‐sizes. This is an example of the ‘fishing down’ of a Mekong fish community, in which large long‐lived species are the first to be affected by heavy fishing pressure. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.