Attempts to curb electric fishing failing
Poachers are defying the law and risking imprisonment by continuing to use electric-shock methods to stun and catch fish, conservationists say. They say the practise is inflicting serious damage on the ecosystems of the Ayeyarwady River. The use of batteries to stun fish, as well as the use of poison and explosives, was banned by section 34 of the 2005 Freshwater Fisheries Law, which was passed as a conservation measure. U Kyaw Wan, who lives at Ma Yangon Chan jetty beside the river, in Mandalay Region, told The Myanmar Times, “The Department of Fisheries is constantly arresting people, but the practice does not cease. It’s mostly done in suburban areas. The electric shocks kill not just the fish but also all kinds of water insects. We used to have to clean the bugs off the hulls of our boats, but now there are no bugs. They’re almost extinct. They [shocks] kill animals too, and stop fish and their eggs from breeding.”
