Dry-season migration patterns at selected sites on the section of the Lower Mekong River which flows through Southern Lao PDR were investigated. The study was carried out from 1995 to 1997, following exploratory studies in 1994, in cooperation with local artisanal fishers at a key fishing site in Muang Khong district, specifically, to compare variations in migratory patterns between years. In 1996, the study was expanded to include an important fishing village near the town of Pakse, some 130 km upstream from the Muang Khong site, which provided a spatial dimension to the investigation. Lunar cycles and hydrological conditions were monitored and related to standardized catch (CPUE). Biological examination of migratory species revealed important information regarding the nature of the migrations. Dry-season, upstream potamodromous migrations, dominated by cyprinids and exhibiting marked periodicity, were found to be directly linked to the new moon phase of lunar cycles. Lunar-orientated migration patterns appear to be affected by changes in the local hydrological conditions.
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Terry Warren (1998) studied this question.
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