Mass fish death has farmers worried

October 17, 2018 | 16:44

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Fish have died en mass in Binh Thanh Commune because farmers were forced to move their raising cages to avoid typhoon, causing a sudden and fatal shock.

Local farmers are struggling after losing nearly 700 cages of fish. - VNA/VNS Photo Phuoc Ngoc

The reason for the mass death was revealed by Binh Son District in the central province of Quang Ngai on Tuesday.

Tests on water and fish samples showed that the water was not polluted and the fish did not have any diseases, leaving the move as the probable cause.

Nguyen Tuong Chuan, deputy head of Binh Son District’s Division of Natural Resources and Environment, said the water samples were taken about 400m from the raising cages.

In a meeting with local authorities on Tuesday, residents said they hoped to receive support while they recover.

Deputy Chairman of Binh Son District People’s Committee Ly Tho said Binh Thanh Commune is an industrial development zone, so raising seafood is banned there. Although local authorities have repeatedly warned farmers, many persisted because they could not find other stable sources of income.

The committee agreed to set up a plan to support the farmers after their losses.

Ha Thi Anh Thu, secretary of the district party committee, said the district had started a new project to create jobs for residents. The project has been submitted to Quang Ngai Province’s People’s Committee.

Nearly 700 cages of fish died between October 5 and October 9 in Binh Thanh, Binh Dong and Binh Thuan communes in Binh Son District. The fish were five to eight months old. Losses were estimated at billions of đồng (VND1 billion equals US$43,400).

VNA

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