Breeders face woes of yet another mass fish death

November 11, 2016 - 11:07

Fish in breeding farms in central Thừa Thiên - Huế Province died en masse under unclear causes, leaving breeders potentially bankrupt.

Fish in breeding farms in central Thừa Thiên - Huế Province died en masse under unclear causes, leaving breeders potentially bankrupt. — Photo dantri.com.vn

THỪA THIÊN-HUẾ — Fish in breeding farms in central Thừa Thiên - Huế Province died en masse under unclear causes, leaving breeders potentially bankrupt.

Fish have been dying since Tuesday in 500 cages laying in the brackish water environment in Cầu Hai Lagoon and Lăng Cô Bay for breeding vẩu, a fish species that yields high economic value.

The breeding association of Vinh Hiền Commune said yesterday that there have been 50 tonnes of dead fish taken from the cages.

Last year, the fish fetched VNĐ250,000 (US$11) per kilogramme on the market, but the price dropped almost by half after the environmental disaster in Central region ocean caused by Formosa toxic spill in April, causing huge losses for breeders.

The situation worsened and sent local breeders into bankruptcy, said Nguyễn Thiết, the association chairman.

Trần Văn Đích, a breeder, said the fish died in four out of 15 of his breeding cages, causing an estimated loss of VNĐ200 million.

The province’s Department of Fishery have taken samples at the site for tests, and they suspect that rainwater from downpour since Monday in the province has dropped salinity level required for the fish, leading to fish death.

The department’s deputy head Nguyễn Minh Đức told a local newspaper that fish death for the same reason took place in previous years in these breeding farms. — VNS

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