Fishermen used traditional fishing gear that did not
harm brood stock. In Ban Don Houat in the 1960s, for
example, only two cast nets existed. These were
made from native trees and took almost a year to
make. The mesh size was large (20 to 30 cm) and the
nets were used to catch big fish for traditional cultural
ceremonies. For regular consumption, only hooks
were used to catch fish near the riverbank closest to
the village. People could even use their hands to
catch fish in the roots of trees as fish migrated. The
abundance of fish is reflected in the Lao proverb kang
mo wai pa ten kuan eng, which means: put the pot on
the fire and the fish will jump in themselves.