February 23, 2007

Fish die en masse near Vietnam's south-central coast

Large numbers of river fish in Nha Trang have died over the past two days, causing at least VND580 million (US$36,250) in losses for 27 families that are raising them.

The Thanh Nien news daily reported industrial waste is the prime suspect in the fish kill.

The dead fishes are mostly snappers and rockfish, raised in both pens and free-range, in Nha Trang's Tac River, Phuoc Dong Commune, Khanh Hoa Province.

Fishermen said water from the river have been ¡¡ãbitter¡¡À in the recent days.

They said the fishes may have died of large quantities of industrial waste released into the river daily by many aqua-product factories nearby.
 
The local government has banned the sale of the dead fish and has promised to financially assist the affected families.