Staff at the Lang Sen Wetland Reserve, the Ramsar site in Dong Thap Muoi (plain of reeds) in southern Long An Province, has just caught some lù đù fish (Sciaenidae).

Speaking to Youth newspaper, Truong Thanh Son, the director of the site, said it was very strange because lù đù is a saltwater fish and lives on the coast or estuary while Lang Sen site is located in fresh water which is some 150km from the sea.

Nguyen Linh Em, a reserve site staff, who caught the fish, said he had snared many lù đù recently and still stored them at the site.

Besides the lù đù, different kinds of saltwater plants have also appeared at the reserve site, Em said.

According to him, to date there have been no abnormal signs of salinity in the region.

Nguyen Tac An, former director of the Oceanography Institute in Nha Trang City of Khanh Hoa province, said this was a strange phenomenon.

Most of the marine species entering fresh water are unable to survive, while this fish is still alive, An said to Dat Viet online newspaper.

He believed that the reason for the appearance of the marine species at the reserve is the salinity in the plain of reeds.

But they would need to check the water samples and conduct some more analysis to confirm the phenomenon, An said.

VNS