The deaths of 101 tonnes of bracket water fish, breeding in coastal floating cages, occurred since Monday in the province’s coastal Phu Loc District, affecting 1,330 breeding cages of 512 families. The dead fish are those with a high economic value and were ready to be harvested.

They included dusky grouper and giant trevally, which are considered as expensive food specialty ingredients in the central region’s localities. Breeders said they had raised the fish in nine months and they weighed 1kg each.

According to the district’s Agriculture and Rural Development Division, which also controls aquaculture, the fish deaths left local breeders with a total loss of VNĐ8 billion (US$380,000). The estimation was based on the normal market price of the fish at VNĐ124,000 per one kilogramme.

The division’s deputy head, Mai Van Xi, said the cause of death was the recent floods. “Breeding cages are placed in bracket water of the Cau Hai Lagoon, whose water changed recently due to a huge volume of fresh water, as well as alluvia deposit from the recent floods,” he said.

The division warned local breeders of more possible losses in case they do not rush in harvesting the rest of the fish in the cages. — VNS