Waterfall Fisherman Of Si Phan Don

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

LAOS | Sunday, 9 December 2012 | Views [1017] | View Larger Image

A brave fisherman stares into the wall of water at Khone Phapheng falls before casting his net into the ferocious current. During the rainy season the Mekong river swells rapidly causing millions of litres of water to crash over the falls each second. The highest flow ever recorded at Khone Phapheng falls was 49,000,000 litres a second. A select few fishermen risk their lives daily to carve out a living fishing these waters.

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The sheer power of the river is clear as a fisherman struggles to reach the bamboo bridge. The fisherman use a combination of throw nets and bamboo fishing traps to catch migratory fish travelling up through the falls. Due to the nature of the traps’ location, the fishermen have to risk their lives navigating the falls across a series of bamboo bridges and rope lines, one small slip on the bamboo could result in death for the fisherman.

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Waterfall Fisherman Of Si Phan Don

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

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