Mobile fishing report

Two H’mong ethnic minority women in the northern mountainous province of Lào Cai’s Bắc Hà District. A new report on social mobility and equality shows that ethnic minority groups are still trailing behind the majority Kinh ethnic group in access to skill learning and subsequently better employment. — VNS Photo Việt Thanh Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI – Though Việt Nam’s economy has grown rapidly over the last decade, social mobility is lagging as the country’s poor still lack access to learn new skills and gain better jobs. A new report "Social Mobility and Equality of Opportunity in Việt Nam: Trends and Impact factors” launched by Oxfam on Thursday highlighted the problem and the threat it poses to the country’s sustainable growth. The report consolidates data from the Việt Nam Household Living Standards Survey 2004 -14 and interviews with about 700 people over the last two years in three provinces of Lào Cai, Nghệ An and Đắk Nông in the north, central and Central Highland regions, … [Read more...] about Việt Nam social mobility slowing: report

HA NOI (VNS) — Massive fish die-offs in many regions across the country recently have raised a big question about how local authorities should mitigate water pollution in aquaculture breeding areas. Last month, more than 1,000 tonnes of fish raised in cages along the Cai Vung River in the southern provinces of An Giang and Dong Thap reportedly died off. After that, more than 20 households along La Nga River of the southern Dong Nai Province suffered losses of more than 20 tonnes of fish. The total loss was estimated to be dozens of billions of dong. In the middle of last year, fish reportedly died en masse at least three times in the Cha Va River in the southern Ba Ria Vung Tau Province. Wastewater from a nearby aquatic product processing factory was to blame. Local authorities got involved to find solutions to these cases, such as giving financial assistance to farmers and cleaning the polluted water areas. However, the problem cannot be addressed thoroughly if the solutions … [Read more...] about Experts urge action to end mass fish kills

The Hòa Bình Hydropower plant in the northern province of Hòa Bình discharges floodwater. — VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sinh Viet Nam News PHÚ THỌ — Hundreds of tonnes of fish raised in the rivers of Phú Thọ, Phú Yên and Bình Thuận provinces died recently because of floodwater discharge and changes in water quality. Around 350 of the 1,000 tonnes of fish that were being bred in the stretch of Đà River in the northern province of Phú Thọ had died by Saturday, accroding to intitial statistics from Phú Thọ Province’s fishery department. As a result, households in Thanh Thủy and Thanh Sơn districts have incurred losses worth billions of đồng , as per estimates made by the province’s sub-department of fisheries, local media reported. Out of the 200 affected fish cages in the two districts, 133 cages lost all fish. The remaining 67 cages lost 30 to 70 per cent of the fish. The incident reportedly occurs following the Hòa Bình hydropower plant discharging floodwater to its … [Read more...] about Farmers lose billions as rains kill fish

Dead fish found on a beach in Quảng Trị’s Triệu An Commune. — Photo laodong.com.vn Viet Nam News QUẢNG TRỊ — Exploding dynamite when fishing is being blamed for the mass of dead fish that washed ashore in the central province of Quảng Trị. According to a report by the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the fish deaths were suspectedly caused by explosions, but fishing boats were unable to collect them all, leaving the remaining fish to wash ashore, according to the report. The report also gave other causes, including fish dropped from broken nets in a bumper catch. The department said they had sent samples of the dead fish to Huế for testing, and the results are expected to reveal the exact causes of their deaths. Earlier this week, masses of dead fish were found in Quảng Trị’s communes of Triệu Vân, Triệu An, Gio Hà and Cửa Việt Township. In Triệu An, residents collected 35kg of dead fish on a local beach. Lê Văn Lợi, a … [Read more...] about Dynamite fishing blamed for Quảng Trị mass fish death

Environmental workers clear dead fish from the shores of Hà Nội’s West Lake on Monday morning, July 9. — VNA/VNS Photo Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Hundreds of kilos of dead fish have been found floating in Hà Nội’s West Lake, the capital’s largest lake and a popular scenic spot, over the weekend, posing a health hazard to those living nearby. The mass fish death was first spotted on Saturday afternoon near Lạc Long Quân Street and Tây Hồ Temple. By Sunday afternoon, environmental workers had collected more than 300 kilos of dead fish. Dead fish have reportedly been seen at the lake on Monday morning. The dead fish, mostly tench and tilapia, were floating along the shores of the lake, mainly along Trích Sài, Quảng Bá and Nhật Chiêu streets. Initial test results from relevant agencies showed that the fish died from a lack of oxygen, which was caused by abnormal weather patterns. A prolonged heatwave was cut short by heavy rainfall over the weekend. The dead fish have caused … [Read more...] about Hà Nội’s West Lake hit by another mass fish death

Caged fish die on the Đà River in Phú Thọ Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Trung Kiên Viet Nam News PHÚ THỌ — More than 13 tonnes of fish raised in cages along a section of the Đà River in Thanh Thủy District, Phú Thọ Province, died en masse over the past few days, incurring losses of up to VNĐ2.6 billion (US$113,000). The incident was reportedly caused by water released by two flood gates at the Hòa Bình hydropower plant early this week after torrential rain in northern areas. According to Thanh Thủy District’s People’s Committee, as of 11am on Thursday, as many as 76 fish cages had been affected. Red rashes and refusal to eat were identified as symptoms before the fish died. On Monday, two flood gates at the hydropower plant were opened as directed by the Central Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention. Since then, the number of dead fish has risen. Bùi Ngọc Thanh, a fish breeder in Xuân Lộc Commune, owns seven fish cages, containing mainly tilapia, red tilapia, … [Read more...] about Hydropower plant water release kills fish in Phú Thọ

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Trần Hồng Hà yesterday asked relevant units to determine the reason for mass fish deaths in central coastal provinces, especially Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình and Quảng Trị provinces.— Photo vietnamnet.vn HÀ NỘI — Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Trần Hồng Hà yesterday asked relevant units to determine the reason for mass fish deaths in central coastal provinces, especially Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình and Quảng Trị provinces. Speaking at an urgent meeting with relevant agencies, Hoàng Dương Tùng, Deputy Head of Environment General Department, said the department sent a working group to these localities to take water samples. “We’re co-ordinating with local authorities to identify the causes. When specific reasons haven’t been confirmed and determined, we hope local residents will stay calm and avoid panic,” Tùng said. A few days ago, residents in coastal areas in the central provinces of Thừa Thiên – Huế and Quảng Bình reported … [Read more...] about Ministry set to investigate cause of mass fish deaths

A highly-poisonous toxin may be behind the abnormal mass fish deaths along the central coast of Việt Nam over the last three weeks, according to the authorities. — Photo tuoitre.vn Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI (VNS) — A highly-poisonous toxin may be behind the abnormal mass fish deaths along the central coast of Việt Nam over the last three weeks. This was announced by Agriculture and Rural Development Deputy Minister Vũ Văn Tám yesterday. A report, led by Tám, which was made public yesterday, revealed its findings on the cause of some 45 tonnes of dead fish. The fish showed no signs of disease and basic environment parameters were within limitations when the deaths occurred, according to the report. The Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 1 and the Department of Animal Health – authors of the report – said the only possible trigger for deaths on such a massive scale was a highly-poisonous toxin, which could be biological, chemical or of another kind. … [Read more...] about Highly poisonous toxin causes mass fish deaths

Illegal fishing at Linh Đàm Lake in Hà Nội. VNS Photo Đoàn Tùng Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Along the canals andr lakes in Hà Nội and HCM City, passers-by are used to men gathering in large groups for hours with their fishing rods, patiently waiting for the fish to come. Sometimes, the street corner is crowded with cheerful noise and claps when someone has a big catch. Their fishing occurs day and night despite big warning signs nearby saying fishing is banned. Ngô Thị Yến, a resident of Hà Nội’s Tây Hồ District, said that hundreds of residents around West Lake make a living by catching fish. Some even catch up to ten kilograms of fish every day. The illegal fishing poses possible risks to passers-by. When fishermen cast their fishing lines, passers-by might be injured by the hook. Fishermen need to spend VNĐ500,000 (US$23) per month to buy a “ticket” for fishing at Thủ Lệ Park in Ba Đình District in order to legally catch fish there. A fisherman at the park said that he … [Read more...] about Police ignore illegal fishing

Dead fish in a cage on Chà Và River in southern Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province. – VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Nhị Viet Nam News BÀ RỊA-VŨNG TÀU – The reason for the huge number of fish deaths in Chà Và River, in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province’s Long Sơn Commune, was prolonged heavy rain, the provincial People’s Committee said. Officials arrived at the conclusion at a meeting between the provincial People’s Committee, the natural resources and environment department, local authorities and affected households and made the announcement yesterday. Heavy, continuous showers led to a sudden drop in the amount of saline and dissolved oxygen in the river water and killed fish, they said. Local agencies had collected water and fish samples to identify the cause. Between October 10 and 15, 254 tonnes of farmed fish from 90 households in Long Sơn Commune died, causing an estimated loss of VNĐ29 billion (US$1.31 million). Most of the fish were pomfret and cobia, and all were almost large enough … [Read more...] about Farmers disagree with Chà Và fish death report