Local authorities in Tri An Ward continued efforts on May 31 to help fish farmers collect and dispose of dead fish from cages and floating farms across the lake to prevent further environmental pollution.
Hundreds of residents, police officers, soldiers and forest rangers were mobilised to remove fish carcasses from the lake, where large numbers of catfish, carp, grass carp and red tilapia were found floating on the surface.
The fish deaths, which began on the evening of May 29 following prolonged heavy rainfall, have caused substantial losses for local aquaculture households.
Nguyen Van Manh, a fish farmer in Tri An Ward, said his family lost more than 65 tonnes of fish that were close to harvest.
"More than 65 tonnes of fish were due to be harvested soon, but they died within two days. We had no time to react," he said.
Nguyen Tuan Anh, a fish farmer from Trang Bom Ward, said his family had invested in cage farming on Tri An Lake for the first time and had stocked more than 10 tonnes of fish since October last year.
"Only a short time remained before harvest, but after the heavy rain, nearly all the fish in our cages died," he said.
Authorities have coordinated with relevant agencies to collect and dispose of dead fish while taking measures to minimise environmental impacts.
Nguyen Thi Dung, chairwoman of the People's Committee of Tri An Ward, said local authorities had mobilised security forces, military personnel, community teams and staff from the Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve to assist affected households.
The ward has also requested the municipal Department of Agriculture and Environment to collect fish and water samples to determine the cause of the incident.
Preliminary assessments suggest that sudden changes in water conditions following the first major rains of the season may have contributed to the mass fish deaths.
Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation and are considering support measures for affected households while advising fish farmers to take preventive measures against adverse weather conditions.
