The General Directorate of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) reported that as of November 16, the total aquaculture area suffering from floods in the central region had reached 9,931 hectares.

Lobsters in 2,180 cages died because of freshwater inflow, while 39 fishing boats were damaged, which caused the total damage of VND474 billion.

Ha Tinh was the most seriously hit province with 2,872 hectares of flooded fresh and brackish water aquaculture area. It reported damage to 2,712 tons of seafood and 3,294 cubic meters of farmed cages with total damage of VND165 billion.

In Thua Thien-Hue province, the historic floods have caused a loss of VND100 billion to aquaculturists.

In Phu Yen province, the floods came unexpectedly in mid-November, overflowing aquatic farming area, causing freshwater shock to lobsters. Local farmers estimate a loss of billions of dong.

Only after two days of flooding, many lobster farming cages were broken by waves, washed ashore or just carried ashore. Many people were seen carrying dead lobsters ashore with coracles.

A report showed that 159 hectares of aquaculture ponds suffered from floods with the total damagr of VND11 billion. With 2,180 lobster cages damaged, farmers lost VND63 billion.

The General Directorate of Fisheries have asked the provincial people’s committees in the central region to promptly count the losses in aquaculture to give timely support to farmers under current regulations.

The agency also urged to mobilize human resources for environment cleaning in damaged farming areas; use drugs and chemicals to detoxify, disinfect and treat the water environment after rains, storms, tropical depressions, and floods in polluted areas; and review the damages and predict the demand for aquatic breeders, feed and substances needed for aquaculture environment treatment to quickly resume the aquaculture production after storms and floods.

The agency has also requested local authorities and relevant agencies to soon organize the re-arrangement of the farming cage systems, and reorganize the production by uniting farming to minimize damages in case of natural calamities.

It has proposed that the government and Prime Minister allocate budgets soon to resume the production of the central provinces hit by floods; set up mechanisms for preferential loan access; and instruct banks to freeze debts and extend debt payment deadlines, reduce debts for the people suffering from the floods so as to help them continue the production.

It is also necessary to build policies to reserve aquatic breeds, aquatic feed, and aquaculture environment treatment products and distribute to farmers whose aquaculture was damaged more than 70 percent because of natural calamities. 

C. Giang

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