What about the tributaries of the tributaries? Fish migrations, fisheries, dams and fishers' knowledge in North-Eastern Thailand

Abstract

The Pak Mun dam is among the most controversial hydropower projects in Thailand. However, the dam’s impacts on upriver tributaries have been neglected. We engaged fishers living in three villages along the Sebok River – a major tributary of the Mun River, upstream of the Pak Mun dam – to collect fish catch data for 24 months between 2014 and 2016. Using these data and fishers’ knowledge, the negative fishery impacts of the Pak Mun dam and the Ban Ot irrigation dam on the Sebok River were assessed. Both dams have negatively impacted Sebok River fisheries for migratory species.