With permission from the Cambodian Fisheries Administration and the Kep Provincial Fisheries Administration, we initiated a seaweed bed formation project using the artificial seaweed in collaboration with the Phone Thmey Community Fishery （CFi） in Kep Province in August 2024. The objectives and characteristics of the artificial seaweed, as well as successful examples of fishing ground creation and enhancement of spawning and nursery functions through seaweed bed formation, were shared with CFi members, and agreement was reached to implement the project jointly. In February 2024, an artificial seaweed bed was installed approximately 400 m offshore along the Kep Province coastline, and fish aggregation was confirmed through scuba diving surveys and underwater camera observations. During a follow-up survey in July 2024, the status of attached organisms was explained to government authorities and CFi members. In July 2025, additional artificial seaweed units were installed and interviews were conducted. It was reported that 18 CFi members were engaged in fishing activities around the artificial seaweed bed under locally established usage rules, achieving average daily landings of approximately USD 39 per person. Fishing activities that previously required about six hours using motorized boats have been reduced to approximately two hours without fuel consumption, indicating an improvement in livelihoods. To enable quantitative evaluation, workshops on catch recording and fish size measurement were conducted within the CFi. These outcomes were shared with relevant government agencies, and agreement was reached to continue collecting fisheries-related information for resource and fisheries management. The newly established artificial seaweed bed has thus become a new local resource for the CFi.

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