This book shows how the Mekong's seasonal rise and fall shapes daily life for the people who live on and around it, in matters from transport to festivals to fish trap design. By world standards, the Mekong fishery is immense in scale, producing around 2.5 million tons of wild fish a year, or roughly two per cent of the entire world catch. In numbers of fish species, the Mekong is second only to the Amazon.
The unique collection of photographs takes the reader beyond the familiar postcard views of the Mekong to sites rarely seen by the public - from secluded natural pools known only to local fishers, to factory floors that package the fillets appearing on restaurant platters all over the world. Aerial images, captured from helicopters, show habitats that are critical to the survival of many species.