Siphandone now uses a community-based
management approach where local communities
establish their own fish-conservation zones based on
the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's decree on
the Conservation of Wildlife and Aquatic Animals.
Rules forbid certain fishing methods and the catching
of certain aquatic animals like frogs in the spawning
season. Local and national authorities have
acknowledged and supported the village rules and the
co-management system whereby fishermen and the
ministry share responsibility for protecting natural
resources. Today, local communities believe that the
reappearance of some fish species is the result of
their effective management within fish conservation
zones. As a result, the basic regulations of fisheries
conservation villages – such as prohibiting electrofishing,
the poisoning and scaring of fish and certain
types of fishing gear –have become a general rule for
fishing in the Siphandone area