Fishing in Cambodia - past and present

Our driver from 2015 checking out baskets of dried fish at one of the farms we visited near Siem Reap (photo by Brian).

One question that fascinates me about the ancient Khmer living at Angkor is how they supplied food for such a large population. The massive barays (reservoirs) and extensive canal system suggest that rice field irrigation was an important part of this system, although as noted by Coe (2003: 147) this "hydraulic city" theory has its detractors. Fish was the other dietary staple (Coe 2003: 41). Most important were the fresh water fisheries of the Mekong River and its tributaries, especially Tonle Sap (the Great Lake). According to Coe (2003: 25) Tonle Sap contains the greatest concentration of fish in the world. Today, the Tonle Sap fishery provides 60% of the protein consumed in Cambodia (Osborne 2000: 13).

So what is the evidence for the role of fish in the Angkor sites? Coe (2003: 148) says that there is remarkably little faunal evidence in archaeological reports, although this may be due to a lack of reporting rather than a lack of evidence. If I were able to help excavate sites in Cambodia I'd certainly be looking for contexts with good bone preservation and employing methods suitable to recovering small fish bones. (I'd also look for fishing gear - see below).

Other evidence for the importance of fish in ancient Angkor are the images carved into the bas-relief panels of Angkor Wat, Baphuon, the Bayon, and Banteay Chmmar (Coe 2003: 131). While "daily life" scenes are rare, the panels at the Bayon include some remarkable depictions of ancient Khmer using casting nets to catch fish from small boats. The photograph I took of this panel shows a complicated scene, but in the center left is a fisherman tossing a net from the bow of a boat with two other people in the stern. A crocodile stealing a fish from net is an interesting element in this panel. Another fisherman with a casting net is on the bow of the boat to the right of the crocodile.

"Daily life" panel at the Bayon site showing two fisherman with casting nets and some very large fish (photo by Brian - 2015).

What is perhaps most remarkable about the Bayon panel is how similar is the technique to that practiced by modern Cambodians. In my previous trips, I've seen these casting nets used just about everywhere I went. This continuity in technique suggests that contemporary Khmer culture can also provide us with an understanding of ancient lifeways, especially when there is evidence that these traditions are long-standing practices.

Casting net on the Tonle Sap River near Phnom Penh (photo by Brian - 2015).

One of my goals for this trip to Cambodia is to study more closely the bas-relief panels and their depictions of daily life. We'll be visiting three of the sites where these panels are found (Angkor Wat, the Bayon, and Bantey Chmmar) and will have a lot of time for study. My other goal is to actually try throwing one of these nets. Hopefully I'll find some nice fisherman with a net that is willing to let me give it a toss.



Coe, Michael D. Angkor and the Khmer civilization. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2003.

Osborne, Milton E. The Mekong: Turbulent past, uncertain future. Grove Press, 2000.