Foreign scientists help Vietnam unravel mass fish deaths

May 03, 2016 | 10:17

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Vietnamese authorities are working with scientists from the United States, Germany, and Israel to evaluate wastewater discharged by factories along coastlines in the north-central province of Ha Tinh in a bid to discover the cause of recent mass fish deaths in the region.

Bodies of dead fish are washed ashore in Ky Anh Town, Ha Tinh Province, located in north-central Vietnam.<br /><span>Tuoi Tre</span>

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha was cooperating with foreign experts on Monday, who specialize in oceanography, coastal geology, marine environment, and coastal engineering, to assess the activities of factories near the Vung An beach in Ha Tinh.

After working the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the scientists will continue to cooperate with the Ministry of Science and Technology, said Professor Roberto Mayerle, Director of the Research and Technology Centre Westcoast of Kiel University in Germany.

According to Mayerle, more experts would be invited and the necessary equipment mobilized upon the approval of local authorities, to help the country figure out why such a large number of fish have washed ashore dead in the central provinces.

The professor believed that the team of foreign experts and Vietnamese scientists would soon reach a conclusion.

Tons of dead fish have washed ashore in these provinces since April 6, with no official conclusion on what has caused the environmental disaster.

A waste pipeline belonging to Formosa’s steelmaking plant in Ha Tinh has come into focus and is suspected to be directly linked to the mass fish deaths.

The livelihood of local residents, especially fishermen, has been directly impacted by the phenomenon, which Vietnamese officials have referred to as unprecedented.

In a related development, Le Tran Sang, deputy director of the Ha Tinh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has confirmedd that tourists have returned to some beaches in the province, namely Thanh Hai, Thach Bang, Xuan Thanh, anh others.

“The number of visitors to these beaches during the current holiday was down 30 to 50 percent year-on-year, while the purchase of local seafood has also reduced by 50 to 60 percent,” Sang elaborated.

“However, the return of beachgoers is still considered a positive sign,” he said.

Vietnamese workers have been enjoying a four-day holiday, starting on Saturday, to commemorate Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers’ Day (May 1).