Background
Artificial fish habitat structures are part of marine management tools used to restore aquatic habitats, support fish breeding grounds, and reduce damage to sensitive seabed ecosystems. In Cambodia’s coastal fisheries system, seabed protection is directly linked to fishery productivity because coral, seagrass, and associated marine habitats support spawning, feeding, and nursery functions for many species.
Community fisheries are a core governance mechanism for local resource management in Cambodia’s fisheries sector. Destructive bottom-towed gear can damage marine habitats and undermine community-managed fishing areas, which is why physical seabed interventions are sometimes combined with fisheries conservation and law-enforcement efforts. The Fisheries Administration under MAFF oversees fisheries conservation functions, including measures intended to protect aquatic biodiversity and support sustainable resource use.
Along Cambodia’s coastline, artificial habitat deployment has also been used as a physical barrier strategy to discourage illegal trawling in sensitive marine zones. According to the ministry, a total of 2,152 artificial fish habitat boxes have been placed across the country’s four coastal provinces through cooperation between the Fisheries Administration and partner organizations.
Key Developments
On 25 April 2026, Im Rachna, Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, presided over the announcement of an additional deployment of 12 artificial fish habitat boxes in the Koh Sdach archipelago area of Koh Kong province. The event was held at Royal Beach Resort & Residence in Koh Kong.
The program was organized by Fauna & Flora in cooperation with the Fisheries Conservation Department of the General Department of Fisheries. Participants included Koh Kong provincial representatives, fisheries officials, local authorities, law-enforcement representatives, and community fisheries members.
MAFF stated that 14 artificial fish habitat boxes had previously been deployed in the same area in 2023. According to the ministry, those earlier structures helped deter illegal fishing activities, particularly trawling within community fishing zones, and supported protection of vulnerable marine species and habitats including Neptune’s cup sponge, seahorses, seagrass, and coral.
Operational Implications
The Koh Sdach deployment reflects a marine infrastructure approach in which conservation objectives are pursued through physical placement of seabed structures rather than through administrative measures alone. Such structures can serve both habitat restoration and access-control functions in areas where destructive fishing methods threaten biodiversity.
The ministry linked the program to broader government goals on sustainable and inclusive development under the Pentagonal Strategy Phase 1. Officials also called for continued coordination among community fisheries, local communities, subnational authorities, and competent forces to protect the installed habitat boxes and support fisheries law enforcement.
Institutional Role
The Fisheries Conservation Department under the General Department of Fisheries is the main institutional actor identified in the program’s implementation. Its cooperation with an international conservation organization indicates a mixed model of state-led fisheries governance supported by technical and operational partnerships.
For long-term fisheries management, the significance of the deployment lies in how marine conservation, coastal enforcement, and community fisheries administration are being integrated at site level. The ministry presented the artificial habitat boxes not only as conservation devices but also as part of a broader effort to protect food security and local coastal livelihoods through habitat preservation.
Official Source
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Facebook post, published 26 April 2026.
