Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART)

The policy goal for the RGC and MAFF is: an abundant, productive and diverse fisheries for Cambodia. FIA are in charge of management, control and inspections and community engagement to ensure these goals are met. FiA as the designated government institution, responsible for management of the inland fisheries focuses on fisheries management with 3 interconnected approaches:

1. Conservation of habitats important for fishery resources, including endangered species;

2. Enforcement (and awareness building) of restrictions on destructive fishing methods and access to Fisheries Conservation Areas (FCA); and,

3. Strengthening of Community Fisheries through establishment and support for Community Fisheries (CFi) to co-manage local fishery resources and Community Fish Refuge (CFR) that identify and protect dry season refuge areas for fish and Other Aquatic Animals (OAA).

The Fisheries Administration implements an information management solution for patrolling and law enforcement for fisheries. This uses the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) developed by the World Conservation Society (WCS), which is an evidence-based data collection and reporting system for wildlife and forestry law enforcement monitoring. SMART is a combination of software, training materials and implementation standards for systematic law enforcement and monitoring patrols. It includes different software tools to collect, process and report data collected during inspections in tables and maps, with tools to assist in planning of patrols. Although initially developed for wildlife conservation in terrestrial habitats, conservation management activities, including biodiversity conservation, law enforcement, natural resources use it has found application in fisheries as well.

The core app runs on phones and uses a highly customisable data model, for structuring the data that is collected during an inspection. This depends on the legal framework on Fish Conservation Areas and illegal fishing, as well as any other elements to allow fisheries staff to identify fishing operations, including aquaculture and post-harvest activities related to processing, trade and transport. Data models used for SMART freshwater and marine enforcement were developed and training on use of the recording of inspections on tablets and phones were provided under technical support by FAO CAPFISH, with the SMART patrolling approach was introduced as the main recording and reporting tool used by FiA, Inspectorates and FiAC, starting in 2020.

Important elements of the focus on illegal fishing include preventing the construction, sale, storage and use of illegal fishing gears and unauthorised fishing in restricted areas. Surveillance and enforcement are overseen by the Department of Fisheries Affairs (DFA) at central level and implemented by provincial and district competent authorities at sub-national levels, in conjunction with executive arms of the RGC’s Ministry of Interior. Violations of gear and area restrictions can result in the confiscation of catch and/or fishing gears, fines and even incarceration. Enforcement also extends to aquaculture, flooded forest fires, fish traders and processors who may be fined for purchasing or selling fish or fish products caught using illegal fishing gear.

SMART has been used by FiA for both marine and freshwater fisheries for law enforcement with over 200 rangers trained and using the tools throughout the year. During 2022 over 2500 marine and 45,000 freshwater inspections were done.

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SMART inspections

Distribution of 2022 SMART inspections by type.

Reported number of SMART inspections for fishing gears and other categories during inland patrols and proportion of illegal fishing gear encountered, by year.

Year	Total SMART inspections	Gear inspections			Other Inspections
Year	Total SMART inspections	Illegal	Legal	% Illegal	Other Inspections
2020	15 037	4 400	7 793	36.1%	2 844
2021	45 421	21 479	14 063	60.4%	9 879
2022	45 049	10 980	11 481	48.9%	22 588

Other inspections include transport, aquaculture, people confronted and other unspecified control/inspections

2022 SMART inspections by province and category

Station	Total Patrols	Total Inspections	Aquaculture	Fishing Gear Inspections			Persons confronted	Transport	Other Inspections	Proportion Illegal Gears
Station	Total Patrols	Total Inspections	Aquaculture	Total	Illegal	Legal	Persons confronted	Transport	Other Inspections	2020	2021	2022
FiA HQ	23	6516		3515	1699	1816	1475	1474	52	84.3%	86.6%	48.3%
Chaktomuk Insp	24	2429	1	1008	349	659	660	676	84	65.2%	29.4%	34.6%
Kandal	11	1417		715	305	410	328	367	7	45.0%	37.6%	42.7%
Phnom Penh	3	397		102	15	87	87	91	117	16.7%	36.0%	14.7%
Prey Veng	17	1858		1217	842	375	311	303	27	73.8%	85.9%	69.2%
Svay Rieng	8	337		134	102	32	28	34	141	63.1%	80.0%	76.1%
Takeo	23	2604		1301	772	529	540	598	165	52.1%	63.8%	59.3%
Chaktomuk Total	86	9042	1	4477	2385	2092	1954	2069	541			53.3%
Mekong Insp	14	2539		1137	342	795	683	685	34	67.6%	45.2%	30.1%
Kampong Cham	23	2829		1197	280	917	794	789	49	63.7%	41.5%	23.4%
Kratie	8	2365		1013	239	774	654	671	27	49.7%	27.3%	23.6%
Ratanakiri	13	468	29	271	17	254	70	62	36		13.7%	6.3%
Mondulkiri											73.3%
Stung Treng	18	2187	1	636	183	453	351	391	808	2.3%	16.3%	28.8%
TboumKhmum	11	1727	13	723	178	545	487	483	21	60.0%	30.9%	24.6%
Mekong Total	87	12115	43	4977	1239	3738	3039	3081	975			24.9%
Northern TS Insp	10	1446		994	722	272	213	218	21	31.1%	43.8%	72.6%
Bantey Meanchey	26	830	1	81	53	28	194	298	256	49.1%	74.7%	65.4%
Kampong Thom	15	2539		2050	1664	386	265	198	26	98.4%	95.6%	81.2%
Oddar Meanchey											0.0%
Preah Vihear	1	678		233	6	227	221	220	4	16.7%	17.2%	2.6%
Siem Reap	23	1923		1163	744	419	354	354	52	54.3%	87.0%	64.0%
Northern TS Total	75	7416	1	4521	3189	1332	1247	1288	359			70.5%
Southern TS Insp	24	2541		1264	592	672	617	613	47	83.5%	86.7%	46.8%
Battambang	40	2164		1315	942	373	370	370	109	97.5%	95.1%	71.6%
Kampong Chhnang	19	2288	1	1217	662	555	503	518	49	69.3%	47.1%	54.4%
Kampong Speu	16	505	11	182	35	147	122	132	58		38.4%	19.2%
Pailin	8	48		23	23				25		71.4%	100.0%
Pursat	5	2413		970	214	756	718	714	11	61.7%	64.2%	22.1%
Southern TS Total	112	9959	12	4971	2468	2503	2330	2347	299			49.6%
Grand Total	383	45048	57	22461	10980	11481	10045	10259	2226	63.9%	60.4%	48.9%

Other inspections includes where the target of the inspection is not indicated, this can cover, FCA, CFi conservation areas, landing sites, markets, traders.