Lobster farmers on Ly Son Island are facing a crisis as their animals are dying en masse.
Dead lobsters
According to Le Van Doi, deputy head of Economy and Rural Infrastructure Office, of the 62 cages raising over 100,000 lobsters, an estimated 15,000 lobsters have died in recent days.
Vo Van Thanh said he cleaned all his cages after finding dead lobsters, but the situation has not improved.
"We’re raising about 1,500 lobsters," he said. "We are losing millions of VND as four or five lobsters die each day. Not to mention that lobster prices have dropped a lot since last year."
Le Van Tam, another farmer said the lobsters showed a lack of appetite then died one after another.
Lobsters have been dying en mass
Truong Dinh Nho, deputy head of Ly Son Animal Health Station, said that the mass lobster death might be caused because some farmers bought lobsters of unknown origins and were not quick to detect diseases.
He said, "The lobsters may have died because due to oxygen deficiency in the bottom water. The water can also be contaminated from excess feed since the cages are placed so close to each other."
Farmers were advised to harvest lobsters of marketable sizes and move their cages to other locations.