The Vietnam Fisheries Association said there was no evidence to prove that the fish were killed by a red tide and urged the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to quickly uncover the exact cause of the mass fish deaths on the central coast.
Mass fish deaths along the central coast
After a closed meeting, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment claimed that there was insufficient evidence that Formosa and other plants in the Vung Ang Economic Zones in Ha Tinh Province were responsible for the mass fish deaths along the central coast since early April.
The report claimed that mystery toxic substances discharged at sea – the source of which that was not identified - and a harmful algal bloom or red tide which is an extraordinarily rare occurrence in Vietnam, were the causes of the mass fish deaths that had left hundreds of tonnes of dead fish on the beaches of four provinces, decimating fishing and tourism.
However, the Vietnam Fisheries Association has not acknowledged the red tide conclusion and asked the Government Office, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Finance to continue their investigations.
The association agreed that the fish had been poisoned because most of the dead fish were deep-sea creatures but said that there was no evidence to prove that the fish were killed by the natural phenomenon known as a red tide. They said the water colour should have changed, and even fish living on the surface would be killed and they should have found algae on the shore. In addition, Vietnam has not registered any earthquake, tsunami or volcanic activity that could affect the sea floor.
The association said it was highly likely that the disaster was human caused.
Some people raised concerns that if fish were poisoned then it was possible that all marine life had been killed. Fishermen want to know if how long the sea would stay dangerous and whether it could be cleaned up as the mass fish deaths were badly affecting the livelihoods of everyone.
The association proposed to support each family that have been affected with 15kg of rice. The authorities were also urged to be quick in collecting dead fish from the beach so that they couldn’t be sold.
