ABSTRACT
This paper investigates fishery governance in Tonlé Sap, Cambodia, with a specific focus on fishery management since 1963 and recent determinants of political participation. The research suggests that the policy reforms leading to the implementation of open-access fisheries have not produced satisfactory outcomes due to inequitable access to fishery resources. The results of statistical analyses reveal: the dependency of small-scale fisherfolk on fishery resources; the level of institutional support available to small-scale fisherfolk; the capacity of the local community; and the important roles fishery management initiatives play in determining the level of political participation in fishery governance.
Acknowledgements
The authors appreciate the valuable comments and suggestions from the editorial board of International Journal of Water Resources Development, the two anonymous reviewers, Dr Raymond Yu Wang and Mr Simon Ross. We thank the Royal University of Phnom Penh for providing institutional support to the research, and Mr Kanharith Samath, Mr Boromey Samath and Mr Sok Sela for assisting in the fieldwork and data collection.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.