Figure 1
Map of case study sites included in the study.
Figure 2
Photos of fishway case study sites (A: Sleng; B: Mak Hieu; C: Damnak Chihieu Krom; D: Nam Pok; E: Perjaya).
Table 1
Overview of research respondents and data collection activities.
| COUNTRY | CODE | DATA COLLECTION ACTIVITY | NO. RESPONDENTS | RESPONDENT(S) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambodia | C01 | Group Discussion | 4 | Kbal Hong community members |
| C02 | Group Discussion | 11 | Damnak Ampil fishers | |
| C03 | Group Discussion | 4 | Damnak Ampil key informants | |
| C04 | Group Discussion | 3 | Danmak Chiheu Krom key informants | |
| C05 | Group Discussion | 6 | Romlech key informants | |
| C06 | Interview | 1 | Provincial leader | |
| C07 | Group Discussion | 18 | Sambour community | |
| C08 | Group Discussion | 21 | Sleng community | |
| C09 | Interview | 1 | District Governor | |
| C10 | Group Discussion | 3 | District administration | |
| C11 | Group Discussion | 7 | Takor community | |
| C12 | Group Discussion | 4 | Fisheries division operations team | |
| C13 | Interview | 1 | Senior IGO representative | |
| C14 | Interview | 1 | Senior fisheries manager | |
| C15 | Interview | 1 | Senior fisheries manager | |
| Laos | L01 | Interview | 1 | Provincial irrigation Vang Vieng |
| L02 | Interview | 1 | Provincial Livestock & Fisheries Vang Vieng | |
| L03 | Group Discussion | 2 | District Agriculture Vang Vieng | |
| L04 | Group Discussion | 3 | Nam Pok community leaders | |
| L05 | Interview | 1 | Provincial irrigation Vientiane | |
| L06 | Interview | 1 | Provincial Livestock & Fisheries Vientiane | |
| L07 | Group Discussion | 4 | Mak Hieu key informants | |
| L08 | Interview | 1 | District Agriculture Champone | |
| L09 | Group Discussion | 4 | Houy Souy community leaders and fishers | |
| L10 | Interview | 1 | District Agriculture Xyabouli | |
| L11 | Group Discussion | 4 | Houy Phine community leaders and fishers | |
| L12 | Interview | 1 | Provincial irrigation Bolikhamxay | |
| L13 | Interview | 1 | Provincial Livestock & Fisheries Bolikhamxay | |
| L14 | Group Discussion | 3 | District Agriculture Pak San | |
| L15 | Group Discussion | 5 | Pak Peung community | |
| L16 | Interview | 1 | IGO Representative | |
| L17 | Interview | 1 | Senior NGO representative | |
| L18 | Group Discussion | 2 | Provincial fisheries managers | |
| L19 | Group Discussion | 3 | Provincial irrigation managers | |
| Indonesia | I01 | Group Discussion | 3 | South Sumatra Public Works |
| I02 | Group Discussion | 3 | Fisheries extension | |
| I03 | Group Discussion | 3 | Perjaya dam operators | |
| I04 | Interview | 1 | Village head Perjaya dam region | |
| I05 | Interview | 1 | Fisherman Perjaya dam region | |
| I06 | Group Discussion | 2 | South Sumatera Provincial Fisheries | |
| I07 | Group Discussion | 4 | IGO team members | |
| I08 | Group Discussion | 9 | Provincial and district irrigation engineers |
Table 2
Overview and explanation of findings.
| MAIN FINDING | EXPLANATION | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|---|
| The social licence of fishways needs to be established with surrounding communities and renegotiated over time | Fishways exist long-term in the environment, crossing generations of community leadership. Given that communities are often expected to co-manage the fishways (or at least avoid fishing in them during particular periods), co-ownership needs to be established with communities prior to construction and these relationships need to be maintained over the life of the infrastructure. | In Cambodia, some community leaders of Romlech were unaware that a fishway was being built in their village. In Indonesia, the Perjaya dam was constructed in the early 1990s but current management does not have community buy-in and fishing within the fishway has become a limitation to the success of the structure. |
| Communities should benefit from fishway implementation (at least not be harmed) | There is potential for communities to benefit from fishway infrastructure construction (i.e. through labour), but local power relations and justice need to be considered. Both fishways and the infrastructure they are integrated with can be potential hazards for communities (i.e. drowning, loss of other infrastructure) and communities may not make the distinction between the fishway and the barrier it provides passage around. | In Cambodia, communities around Damnak Ampil were able to take jobs on the construction of the dam, but were cheated out of wages. Some respondents weren’t able to distinguish this negative experience of the dam from the fishway. In Laos, Mak Hieu fishway complex resulted in damage to community assets from bank erosion. |
| Consider the socio-cultural context of the fishway place | Fishways are embedded into places that have a socio-cultural context. Interactions between communities and fisheries resources and places are mediated by social dimensions such as gender, ethnicity and religion | In Cambodia, Cham people migrate to the riverside near Damnak Ampil seasonally to fish. In Laos and Cambodia, communities can abstain from fishing on Buddhist days or next to Pagodas. In Indonesia, ‘local wisdom’ is integrated into fisheries management. |
| Consider the socio-economic context of the fishway place | The efficiency of fishways partly relies on the free passage of fish through the structure without human interference. Communities with fewer livelihood options may rely on illegal fishing in the fishway. | In Cambodia, Loas and Indonesia there were examples of people illegally fishing in the fishway, to varying degrees. Each context has its own institutional arrangements for addressing this, for example in Loas both social pressure and fines are used. At Perjaya in Indonesia, these arrangements have broken down. |
| Consider the socio-institutional context of the fishway place | Fishway efficiency requires appropriate ongoing maintenance and operations and these various activities often rely on communities’ input. However, communities will require support, direction and potentially capacity development for these tasks. | Debris is required to be removed from the fishways and in Cambodia and Laos it is often community labour that does this. At Houy Phine, in Laos, local people are tasked with opening the gates, but without mechanisation this is physically difficult. |
Figure 3
Photos of bank erosion damaging a community asset at Mak Hieu.