People gather at Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe every day despite clear signs banning fishing.
Many people have caught fish illegally on Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal
On the afternoon of June 13, nearly 20 people were fishing along a 1-km section of the canal.
Nguyen Van Dung from Binh Thanh District who brought there three fishing rods of different kinds said that he went to the canal for fishing every day and caught fish ranging from 2-3 kilos to 7 kilos on occasion.
He, however, said that his family did not eat the fish for the fear of the canal pollution but instead sold it to markets. Asked about the ban, he said he knew about that but had never been fined.
Many people used modern fishing rods or tasers to catch fish.
Kieu Thuy from District 3 said that she usually releases fish into the canal, so was really upset by the illicit fishing. According to her, local authorities need to take drastic measures to deal with this.
Deputy Chairman of District 1 People’s Committee Doan Ngoc Hai has asked the municipal waterway police and transport inspectors to tighten control over the illegal fishing at Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal to timely find violators.
A representative from the HCM City Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said local authorities carried out a campaign to deal with the illegal fishing along the city’s canals in 2015. However, the problem had resurfaced due to the lax management.
Those using electricity to kill fish face VND1-2 million (USD45.45-USD91) fines.