October 7, 2010

Large quantities of Vietnamese white leg shrimp die
 

Vietnamese white leg shrimp have died in large quantities during the past two weeks in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue's Phong Dien District.

Chairman of the district People's Committee Nguyen Dai Vui, said the losses from nearly 100 hectares out of 300 hectares of shrimp farms hit by the deaths have cost breeders damages of nearly VND20 billion (US$1.33 million).

"This is the first major incident since local farmers set up their shrimp businesses here in 2001," he said.

Vui said polluted water sources could be the cause of the shrimp deaths. "Shrimp breeding farms often discharge waste water into the sea, and later on use that sea water again to fill their shrimp farms," he said.

Farmer Vo Van Khanh from Phong Hai Commune, whose damages were estimated at VND300 million (US$15,524), said his shrimp all died one day after he filled his ponds with sea water.