Cambodian fishermen turn to raising eels as Tonle Sap lake runs out of fish

KAMPONG PHLUK, Cambodia (AP) — Em Phat, 53, studies his eel tanks with the intensity of a man gambling with his livelihood.

For millennia, fishermen like him have relied on the bounty of the Tonle Sap in Cambodia, Southeast Asia’s largest lake and the epicenter of the world’s most productive inland fishery. But climate change, dams upstream on the Mekong River that sustains the lake, and deforestation in the region have changed everything.

There aren't enough fish and living by the lake has become dangerous as storms intensify due to global warming. “Being a fisherman is hard,” he said.

Phat hopes that raising eels — a delicacy in Asian markets like China, Japan and South Korea — will provide a way forward. He raises eels in different tanks: translucent eel eggs bob gently in Small glass aquariums. Voracious glassy larvae swim in plastic tanks. Larger tubs have bicycle tires to provide places for juvenile eels to hide.

Raising eels can be profitable but it's risky. Eels are notoriously difficult and expensive to raise. They need constant pure, oxygenated water and special food and are susceptible to diseases. Phat lost many eels when a power cut stopped his oxygen pumps, killing the fish. But he's optimistic about the future. Living on land, instead of on the lake, also means that his wife, Luy Nga, 52, can grow vegetables to eat and sell, so they are making enough money to get by.

“The eels have value and can also be exported to China and other countries in the future,” he said.

That fishermen like Phat can no longer rely on the Tonle Sap, literally the “Great Lake,” for their livelihood reflects how much has changed. The lake used to more than quadruple in size to an area larger than the country of Qatar during the rainy season, inundating native forests and creating the perfect breeding ground for diverse fish to thrive.

The "flood pulse,” a natural process of periodic flooding and droughts in the river system helped make the Mekong Basin the world’s largest freshwater fishery, with nearly 20% of all freshwater fish worldwide caught there, according to the think tank Stimson Center in Washington. More than 3 million people live and fish by the lake: a third of all 17 million Cambodians rely on the fisheries sector and up to 70% of Cambodia’s intake of animal protein is from fish.

But dams upstream in China and Laos are cutting the Mekong's flow, weakening that flood pulse. The lakes have been depleted by overfishing and much of the forest surrounding it has been logged or burned for farmland. Cambodian authorities are reluctant to estimate the extent that fish stocks have declined.

This year, the flood pulse was delayed by about two months, according to the Mekong Dam Monitor, a research project.

In this shattered ecosystem, raising eels or other fish can provide fishermen like Phat with a “buffer,” said Zeb Hogan, a fish biologist at the University of Nevada who has worked in the region for decades. “Aquaculture, such as eel farming, is a way for people to take more control over their income source and livelihood,” he said, adding that it also allows them to raise fish that they know will fetch higher prices.

Phat is one of more than thousands helped by a program run by the Britain-based nonprofit VSO to boost incomes of people living by Tonle Sap. VSO provides his baby eels and has taught him how to raise them.

Eels are in high demand in Cambodia and elsewhere, said Sum Vy, 38, a coordinator at VSO, so they're profitable. When fishermen know how to farm eels and hatch the babies, others can follow.

“Not only can he or she earn the money to support their family, they can share this knowledge and skill with other people,” he said.

Expanding aquaculture is helping increase Cambodian exports. Its fish production increased 24-fold in the two decades leading up to 2021 and, unlike its neighbors, most of its fish catch is inland, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization or FAO. Much of it is consumed domestically and exports have grown sluggishly. Earlier this year, the government launched a scheme to improve fish processing technologies and address food safety concerns, hoping to begin exporting more fish to Europe next year.

Cambodia has signed trade agreements with China and began shipping frozen eels to Shanghai last year.

“This export will contribute to economic growth, creating jobs for our farmers and fishermen,” Heng Mengty, the export manager of the Cambodian fish exporter told China's official Xinhua news agency.

The promised growth can’t come soon enough for Cambodians living in fishing communities around the lake. Some families live in homes that float year round, others on homes built on stilts up to 8-meters-high (26 feet), to keep them above floodwaters during the rainy season. Fishing is the only form of subsistence for many, but signs of decay are evident. Fishing nets catch only very small fish, or worse, nothing at all. Families speak of giant fish that are now rarely seen. The catch is a fraction of what it used to be.

Even 10 years ago, Som Lay, a 29-year-old fisherman said, the lake was teeming with fish. But illegal fishing has increased and some families have already given up fishing and are trying to find land where they can grow rice.

“The entire village — my family and others — is facing these difficulties,” he said.

Associated Press journalist Sopheng Cheang contributed to this report.

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A fisherman fishes in the Tonle Sap in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A girl rides a bicycle at a floating village, by the Tonle Sap in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A fisher family in their home at a floating village, by the Tonle Sap in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A local vendor sits at her grocery store at a floating village by the Tonle Sap in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Locals fix their fishing nets at a floating village by the Tonle Sap in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Children walk past a floating village, by the Tonle Sap in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Boats of fisherfolk are anchored by a floating village, by the Tonle Sap in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Trees stand on the edge of Tonle Sap lake, forming part of the surrounding forests, much of which has been logged or burned for farmland, in Cambodia, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Aniruddha Ghosal)

Eel eggs float in a tank raised by eel farmer in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Aniruddha Ghosal)

A fisherman sits on a boat in the Tonle Sap lake, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Aniruddha Ghosal)

A bucket of eels for sale in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)

An aerial view of Em Phat's eel farm on the edges of Tonle Sap lake, north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)

Eel farmer Luy Nga, 52, sits next to jars where eels are reared at Tonle Sap complex. north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Em Phat, 53, stands in his eel farm at Tonle Sap complex, north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Eel farmer Em Phat, 53, works in his eel rearing place at Tonle Sap complex, north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Eel farm owner Em Phat, 53, works in Tonle Sap complex, north of Phnom Penh Cambodia, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Baby eels swim in a tank at Tonle Sap complex, north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

An eel crawls in a pool as its farm owner replaces water in the eel rearing pool at Tonle Sap complex, north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Em Phat, 53, eel farm owner, holds an eel in an eel rearing pool at Tonle Sap complex, north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Four years after launching a push for more diversity in its ranks, McDonald’s is ending some of its diversity practices, citing a U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions.

McDonald's is the latest big company to shift its tactics in the wake of the 2023 ruling and a conservative backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Walmart, John Deere, Harley-Davidson and others rolled back their DEI initiatives last year.

McDonald's said Monday it will retire specific goals for achieving diversity at senior leadership levels. It also intends to end a program that encourages its suppliers to develop diversity training and to increase the number of minority group members represented within their own leadership ranks.

McDonald's said it will also pause “external surveys." The burger giant didn't elaborate, but several other companies, including Lowe's and Ford Motor Co., suspended their participation in an annual survey by the Human Rights Campaign that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees.

McDonald's, which has its headquarters in Chicago, rolled out a series of diversity initiatives in 2021 after a spate of sexual harassment lawsuits filed by employees and a lawsuit alleging discrimination brought by a group of Black former McDonald's franchise owners.

“As a world-leading brand that considers inclusion one of our core values, we will accept nothing less than real, measurable progress in our efforts to lead with empathy, treat people with dignity and respect, and seek out diverse points of view to drive better decision-making,” McDonald's Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski wrote in a LinkedIn post at the time.

But McDonald’s said Monday that the “shifting legal landscape” after the Supreme Court decision and the actions of other corporations caused it to take a hard look at its own policies.

A shifting political landscape may also have played a role. President-elect Donald Trump is a vocal opponent of diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Trump tapped Stephen Miller, a former adviser who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies,as his incoming deputy chief of policy.

Vice President-elect JD Vance introduced a bill in the Senate last summer to end such programs in the federal government.

Robby Starbuck, a conservative political commentator who has threatened consumer boycotts of prominent consumer brands that don't retreat from their diversity programs, said Monday on X that he recently told McDonald's he would be doing a story on its “woke policies.”

McDonald's said it had been considering updates to its policies for several months and planned to time the announcement to the start of this year.

In an open letter to employees and franchisees, McDonald's senior leadership team said it remains committed to inclusion and believes a diverse workforce is a competitive advantage. The company said 30% of its U.S. leaders are members of underrepresented groups, up from 29% in 2021. McDonald's previously committed to reaching 35% by the end of this year.

McDonald's said it has achieved one of the goals it announced in 2021: gender pay equity at all levels of the company. It also said it met three years early a goal of having 25% of total supplier spending go to diverse-owned businesses.

McDonald’s said it would continue to support efforts that ensure a diverse base of employees, suppliers and franchisees, but its diversity team will now be referred to as the Global Inclusion Team. The company said it would also continue to report its demographic information.

The McDonald's Hispanic Owner-Operators Association said it had no comment on the policy change Monday. A message seeking comment was left with the National Black McDonald's Operators Association.

FILE - A McDonald's restaurant stands in Albany, Ore., April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)