We introduce the concept of ‘farmer-managed aquatic systems’ (FMAS) to capture
the diversity of these resource systems at the interface of aquaculture and capture fisheries and characterize
FMAS in contrasting agro-ecosystems of Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Cambodian and Thai FMAS
yielded primarily self-recruiting species (SRS) and were managed to allow or attract them, while Vietnamese
FMAS were managed more intensively to produce mostly hatchery-reared species. More than 90% of rice
farming households in the study areas of Cambodia and Thailand harvested aquatic animals from their land,
and about 70% created aquatic habitats such as ponds in addition to rice fields in order to increase aquatic
resource production. Cambodian households created and utilized a wide variety of man-made aquatic
habitats, while Thai households created predominantly trap ponds