Crab gill net (Khmer name Mong Kdam )

       This is another type of gill net with various mesh sizes, which is operated in the shallow or inshore water like other gill nets and is weighted at the bottom. It is used to capture of mixed fishes but the most important is demersal fish, and especially crab. They have mesh sizes around 4-10 cm according to the depth or zone for fishing. Nets used in the shallow water have mesh sizes from 4 to 8 cm and 80% of the nets had a mesh size of 6 cm; 80-95 % of the total catch is crabs. For deeper water (inshore) a mesh size of 8-10 cm is used and 80-90 % of the catch is crabs.

Table13.Data of crab net use in Cambodian waters (Unit = m)

Province/ Municipality	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Kep	-	-	-	-	300	500	20,000	10,000	10,000	10,000
Kampot	34,042	11,500	21,450	30,364	30,364	10,900	24,200	40,755	27,600	27,600
Sihanoukville	7,450	18,000	16,000	35,000	38,500	87,500	87,500	219,500	204,000	225,000
Koh Kong	2,360	2,600	-	30,364	511,275	294,300	294,300	268,290	719,770	372,600
Total	43,852	32,100	37,450	95,728	580,439	393,200	426,000	538,545	961,370	635,200

(Source: DoF of Cambodia, 2002)