Australian and Lao researchers have collaborated to address the growing problem of allowing native fish to move between the mighty Mekong River, the most important river in South East Asia, and surrounding rice paddies and wetlands. Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) are hosting a visiting academic from the National University of Laos on the Border region this week to further the study of "fishways", simple structures that assist native fish in their regular migration between wetlands, paddies and the Mekong. Dr Malavanh Chittavong, an expert in animal production and fisheries in developing countries, won a fellowship from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) to visit Australia and further her research. Dr Chittavong, a member of the ACIAR research project in Laos, will visit CSU in Albury-Wodonga on Thursday 27 March to meet with CSU social researcher Dr Joanne Millar and Dr Lee Baumgartner from DPI's Narrandera Fisheries Research Centre to discuss research initiatives in Laos.