Indawgyi Lake in Mohnyin Township, Kachin State, has seen a decline in fishing, according to local fishermen.
According to a local fisherman from Indawgyi Lake, the catch is declining year by year compared to about 10 years ago.
“Fish catching is declining year by year,” he said. About 10 years ago, I used to get over 20/30 hours a day. Nowadays, it is very rare to get 10 hours a day. I usually get only three or four pounds. There will also be more fishermen. In the past, they only hunted for food when they were working in the fields. Now there are more commercial fishermen, ”said a local fisherman.
Currently, there is no problem for fishermen in Indawgyi Lake as they only have to pay boat tax and do not have to pay inn tax.
“The fishermen are from the villages around the lake. You can arrest any person you like. Yes, there is no tax. You have to pay boat tax. About 7,000 kyats a year. The boat tax is not too high at the moment, so it is convenient. If it increases later, it will not work. “Because if the catch goes down and the boat tax goes up, it will be difficult for most of the people who catch it to be from the grassroots.”
Indawgyi Lake is home to many endemic fish species. Fish bait and fish fillets are the most common.
Indawgyi Lake is Myanmar’s largest natural lake and has been designated as a Ramsar site (an important international wetland, especially for waterfowl habitats) and was listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2017.
