The Mekong : A Threatened River

Fishing boats plying the Mekong River, which starts in China and wends through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The river and associated tributaries have played a central role in the life of people living in Southeast Asia for thousands of years. Now the river's ecosystem and a way of life are threatened by a proposal to construct a massive dam in Laos. (All Photos: Zeb Hogan, University of Nevada at Reno)

Khmer children toting their catfish catch in Cambodia. Local peoples along the Mekong have developed ingenious ways of catching fish, and most of these methods are adapted to a specific site, flow and time of year.

The Mekong’s largest migratory fishes, like the seven-striped barb (shown here), the Mekong giant catfish, the river catfish and the “salmon” catfish, are also the most highly threatened. Without further study, it is likely that mainstream dams will drive at least one if not all of these species to extinction, conservationists say.

The Khone Falls in southern Laos, near the Cambodian border. The Khone has the greatest volume of all the world’s waterfalls, and fishermen risk their lives to catch fish there. Construction of a dam upstream would block the falls’ biggest channel.

Fishermen drying their catch near the Tonle Sap River, which connects to the Mekong. The fish of the Mekong River basin provide most of the protein for the estimated 60 million people living within the basin.

Fish carvings at the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia reflect the centrality of fish to the nation’s culture. Excavations near Angkor Wat have turned up bones from at least 16 fish families, including the giant barb, Mekong giant catfish and giant sheatfish.

The Tonle Sap River meets the Mekong. Decisions reached on constructing dams along the mainstream Mekong will determine whether the connectivity of the rivers remains intact and fisheries remain bountiful.

A Khmer girl near the Tonle Sap River in Cambodia holds a small, highly migratory mud carp. The mud carp is nicknamed "money fish" in Cambodia because people use it during the fishing season to barter for other goods like salt.