Authorities in Quang Tri Province are investigating the mass deaths of caged and wild fish after more than 22 tonnes of farmed fish died in the Hieu River, causing significant losses for local aquaculture households.
Le Van Thong, chairman of the Cua Viet Commune People's Committee, said on July 11 that local authorities had worked with specialist agencies to collect water samples for testing following the unexplained fish deaths.
According to Le Van Thong, inspections carried out between July 5 and 10 found that 14 fish cages belonging to local farmers had been affected, with losses exceeding 22 tonnes of fish.
Officials from Cua Viet Commune and the Quang Tri Province Department of Agriculture and Environment inspected the site and collected samples of dead fish and river water for laboratory analysis.
"Technical teams are closely monitoring the affected areas. We have asked the Department of Agriculture and Environment to urgently determine the cause of the fish deaths and increase the frequency of water quality testing so residents can take timely preventive measures," Le Van Thong said.
Fish died unusually in the Hieu River as it flows through Cua Viet Commune, Quang Tri Province (Photo: Local authorities).
Cua Viet Commune has 96 hectares of brackish-water shrimp and crab farming along the Hieu River, with around 15 million juvenile stock, as well as 11 households operating 39 floating fish cages covering more than 3,500 square metres. The cages contain more than 60,000 fish, including cobia, Asian seabass, red snapper, rabbitfish and spotted scat.
As concerns grow over possible water contamination, local authorities have advised aquaculture farmers to temporarily stop drawing water from the Hieu River into ponds until test results are available.
Fourteen fish cages owned by residents in Cua Viet Commune, Quang Tri Province, were affected, with losses of more than 22 tonnes of fish (Photo: Local authorities).
The fish deaths have not been confined to Cua Viet Commune. Similar incidents have been reported along sections of the Hieu and Thach Han rivers across Quang Tri Province.
In Dong Ha Ward, wild fish in the Hieu River and farmed fish in household ponds have also died sporadically.
In Nam Cua Viet Commune, both caged and wild fish in Bac Phuoc and An Ha villages have been dying since July 4. Residents said they observed unusual discoloured streaks in the river before the fish became sluggish and floated belly-up.
Local economic offices are assessing the total losses suffered by affected households, while specialists from the Quang Tri Province Department of Agriculture and Environment have completed the collection of fish and water samples for laboratory testing to determine the cause of the unexplained die-off.