The fish stocks of floodplain river systems support intensive artisanal fisheries in many tropical countries, particularly throughout the densely populated Asian region. Although in practice the definition varies across countries, artisanal fisheries are small-scale fisheries carried out by people who rely on fishing to support their families and other local people. It is not fully commercial in nature. The fishing technology may be very sophisticated, but it is not highly dependent on outside sources of capital and materials. This practice describes management guidelines for harvest reserve or sanctuaries for tropical river fisheries.