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A fisherman on the Mekong river in Si Phan Don, or Four Thousand Islands. The Mekong River basin supports one of the most diverse fish faunas in the world. As of March 1999, 192 fish species had been identified from Khong District. Many species seasonally migrate long distances up the Mekong River from as far away as the Great Lake in Cambodia and the South China Sea in Vietnam. Locals benefit from fishing and irrigation for farm use. Here, communities tend to be self-sufficient, growing most of their own rice, sugar cane, coconut, and vegetables, harvesting fish from the river and weaving textiles as need. Once have a word said "If people of Si Phan Don want to eat fish, they just make fire and people the pot, fish will jump to the pot." Up until the 1950s and early 1960s fisheries practices in Khong were largely traditional. Fishing was conducted almost entirely for subsistence purposes, with the exception of a small amount of barter trade. However, as the blooming of economic and development, they face with uncertain future. Today fishing is no more for domestic consumption, most of Mekong fish export to Thailand due to better price. Too much fishing and illegal fishing in Laos and Cambodia, also the dams, navigation projects, and habitat destruction also threaten the numbers of fish. The Mekong capture fishery is one of the largest in the world - with 1.5 million tons caught annually, 16 percent of the world total - according to recent studies by the Mekong River Commission.