A dead whale found on a beach in central Thua Thien - Hue yesterday morning has provided clear evidence of an environmental incident taking place in the coastal stretch of four central provinces.

The dead whale.

For the past week, locals in the provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien - Hue have found dead fish en mass on the local beaches. The first discovery of a mass fish death event was recorded in Hao Tanh, and later neighbouring provinces reported similar occurrences.

All along the coast of Thua Thien - Hue dead fish were found. Tens of fish farms built along the coast that use ocean water for aquaculture in Lang Co Bay have also been effected.  

Nguyen Huynh Ky, who runs a fish farm in Lang Co Town, said that two thirds of his fish had died without any symptoms of disease. He suspects that the ocean water was somehow poisoned.

Meanwhile, fishermen along coast of Phu Vang and Quang Nien said they had returned to shore with empty nets from recent fishing trips in local waters.

Officials from the ministries of the environment, agriculture and public security have arrived at the affected areas to investigate the incident.

Authorities investigate mass fish die-off in central VN

Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development yesterday told Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung that in three to five days, they would have an answer to the massive death of fish along coastal provinces in the past two weeks.

The commitment was made during a working session between Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung and Thua Thien - Hue as he inspected several fish farms in Ky Anh Commune of central Ha Tinh Province.

During the inspection, Thua Thien - Hue asked the four provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue to make accurate calculations of the damage and loss caused by the massive fish death event so that adequate support could be given to local residents.

He also asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to inspect the waste water treatment systems of large firms and production units.

Over the past two weeks, it is estimated that some 15 tonnes of natural fish and 2 tonnes of farmed fish have died in Ha Tinh Province. Meanwhile in Thua Thien-Hue Province, some 30 tonnes of natural fish died and were washed up on beaches.

VNS