According to a report from the Khanh Hoa Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department, lobster deaths have happened in Cam Lam Commune in Cam Ranh City, while oysters have died in Ninh Ich Commune in Ninh Hoa Town.
Dang Ngoc Thanh in Cam Lap Commune raised 17 lobster cages for seven months, but up to 40 percent of the lobsters have died.
A large ammount of lobsters in Cam Lap have died
Around half of the lobsters of Nguyen Minh Tan’s family in Cam Lap Commune have also died. Many local households face a similar situation.
The lobster deaths have been reported since late September. Local residents discovered a 200-metre wide and 600-metre long red-coloured water stream near the lobster breeding areas.
Meanwhile, roughly 70-90 percent of oysters raised at 80 rafts have died. Thai Binh Duong Nha Trang Oyster Breeding Ltd Co. has been hard hit with 90 percent of its oysters weighing 50 tonnes found dead.
The Khanh Hoa Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department have conducted checks at Cam Lap’s lobster breeding area but found no diseases. All environmental indexes are acceptable, except for the low oxygen concentration.
The department said that the red-coloured water stream would be the main cause of the lobster deaths and the stream would be due to algal bloom.
Oyster samples showed that the Nha Phu Lagoon area has been affected by the Vibrio bacteria but at low and acceptable levels.
The Khanh Hoa Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department has advised farmers and units to ensure appropriate breeding techniques.
Farmers have been advised to create more spacing between cages to enhance ventilation. It was also important to regularly monitor the health of the farmed oysters and remove deceased oysters as quickly as possible to prevent water pollution.
