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community weblog
To block illegal bottom trawlers, Cambodia is building concrete towers
To block illegal bottom trawlers, Cambodia is building concrete towers.
It's very clever: three-tonne underwater concrete towers disable trawl nets while creating shelter and nursery space for fish.
An NGO has now deployed 1250 of these 'Fishery Productivity Structures' across its southern coast, protecting more than 200 km² of habitat.
Early monitoring found fish abundance six times higher at protected sites than control areas.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries on Jun 09, 2026 at 3:03 AM
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Bottom trawling - industrial fishery, in general - is not only an abhorrence but its invisibility allows it to be utterly destructive and cavalier in its approaches. It's great this has come up as a solution, but fills me with despair that it had to come about at all.
posted by davemee at 3:21 AM
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This article is conspicuously lacking a photo of the concrete structures. Marine Conservation Cambodia's page about the project has a couple of glimpses of what appear to be the structures underwater, but it's still not all that clear what they look like.
I finally found a photo on this page, about 2/3 of the way down.
That certainly looks like it would fuck up a trawl net. Nice.
posted by automatronic at 3:38 AM
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Nice find, automatronic. Those are much better than what I had imagined. The word "tower" makes then sound like featureless underwater obelisks, but these are not that. You can really see how they double as habitat. Not only that, they look quick, affordable and easy to make and put in place.
posted by Smedly, Butlerian jihadi at 3:57 AM
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This is good!
posted by hydropsyche at 4:25 AM
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The picture of the structure can also be found on MCC's Alternative Livelihoods page, their efforts to assist in developing long term economic opportunities for local communities.
This Oceanographic Magazine article has an overhead view of one of the structures, and more on their strategy:
"Around the structures, you can really see the ocean coming back to life," Sopheanie says. "And one of the most positive elements is that we were able to train former illegal fishers in Cambodia how to scuba dive and deploy the structures."
These fishers once relied on compressor diving; one of the world's most dangerous fishing methods, where divers receive surface-supplied air through a hose instead of scuba tanks, often resulting in decompression sickness or worse. Now, they are certified divers with a role in conservation. Providing alternative livelihoods is one of the most effective ways to ensure effective long-term environmental protection.
posted by zamboni at 4:29 AM
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This is great, but calling those structures towers is a bit of a stretch (no pun intended).
posted by SoberHighland at 5:29 AM
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"Things People Say When Encountering Jenga For The First Time"
posted by zamboni at 5:53 AM
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I'm thinking more of the WWII Flak Towers in Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna. Thanks for these pics; I also found their omission in TFA annoying.
posted by Rash at 8:08 AM
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Thanks for this post! News about the oceans are generally real bummers, it's nice to see a bit of good news.
posted by coffeecat at 8:10 AM
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