The fish are farmed in 200 floating cages downstream from Thu Bon River, home to 43 households in Duy Nghia Commune, Duy Xuyen District.
According to Diep Tan Luc, Chairman of Duy Xuyen Commune, the Thu Bon River has been murky since February 26 due to upstream floodwaters. This has killed around 300 tonnes of fish, mostly rabbitfish.
Hundreds of tonnes of fish have been found dead in the Thu Bon River (Photo by Binh An)
Many fish farmers have been forced to move their cages to the Hong Trieu boat shelter to mitigate the situation.
Following torrential rains on February 24, some upstream hydropower plants had to discharge water to regulate. The water rushed in rapidly and became murky, so the farmers could not respond in time, leading to water shock for fish.
Luc added that the total loss from the mass fish deaths is estimated at VND500 million (USD19,723).
Nguyen Cuong from Hoi Son Village said he invested VND400 million in 15 rabbitfish cages, but most fish have died.
The dead fish gathered to protect the environment (Photo by A.X)
Local authorities have instructed farmers to move their floating fish cages to the Hong Trieu boat shelter to mitigate exposure to the upstream water inflow. Farmers must increase aeration to save the remaining live fish and promptly gather dead fish to protect the environment.
Bui Ngoc Anh, Director of the Quang Nam Department of Agriculture and Environment, stated that after being informed of the issue, the department directed the Fisheries Sub-Department and concerned agencies to conduct inspections to determine the cause.
