AN official from the Department of Fisheries said last week that plans were underway to establish programs to help prevent overexploitation of Myanmar’s eel resources.

U Khin Ko Lay, the deputy director general of the department, said the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries had met with about 50 eel traders in Nay Pyi Taw last month, warning them to follow regulations set by the government when they conducted business.

“The minister also asked the traders not to over-fish and to preserve the country’s eel resources,” he said.

He said the department plans to launch an education campaign to teach fishermen the importance of managing eel resources in a sustainable manner.

“We need to tell them not to catch undersized eels so we can reduce the workload and prevent the unnecessary deaths of eels,” U Khin Ko Lay said, adding that regulations prohibited the export of eels of less than 3 centimetres radius.

“If we find undersized eels at trade checkpoints we confiscate them and release them back into nature,” he said. “If fishermen know about the restrictions, they might only catch big eels.”

U Khin Ko Lay also suggested changes in fees or taxes paid by fishermen as a means of managing them more effectively.

“We do not tax eel fishermen because they used to catch eels purely as a food source. But now it has become a big business and eels have become one of Myanmar’s most important export items.

“Taxing them would help us know how many eel fishermen there are in the country and it would help us manage them better,” he said.

U Khin Ko Lay said fishermen should avoid using banned fishing practices and should make sure the eels are free from harmful bacteria and diseases.
“Some people use electric shocks to force eels from their holes but this practice harms the eels and can cause them to die within three days, while normal eels can last for five days after they are caught,” he said.

Eels are exported live, so if they die too early they will not be fresh when they reach their destination, he explained.

U Khin Ko Lay said overexploitation of natural resources can also be avoided if eel breeding programs were established on a wide scale as in villages.

Daw Toe Nandar Tin, the vice chairman of the Eel Traders Association, said the organisation would draft a list of suggestions on how to conserve the eel population and submit it to government authorities for consideration.

“Our members will be given financial support for the plan and we will also conduct research on eel breeding,” she said.

Myanmar exports an average of 40 tonnes of eels to China every day. In the 2006-2007 fiscal year Myanmar earned about US$19 million from eel exports and aims to get about $35 million this year.