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Shoddy farming kills 75t of fish in Dong Thap
The Ministry of Fisheries has reported that Dong Thap Province has lost 5-10% of its cultured fish in the past week to diseases caused by overuse of chemicals and unclean water.
Nearby provinces Tien Giang, An Giang and Vinh Long have also lost 2-3% of stocks.
Though reports show that sudden fish kills have dropped, Deputy Minister of Fisheries Nguyen Viet Thang said that, according to Aquaculture Research Institute No 2, fish are dying of liver disease caused by the bacterium Aeromomas sobria. Agriculture experts have cited overstocked ponds and breeders’ habit of mixing too many preservatives into fish food as potential reasons.
“The breakdown once again requires the fisheries sector enforce their guidance and warning to fishermen to correctly perform clean fish breeding procedures to ensure health and quality of fish,” said Deputy Minister Thang.
The Ministry of Fisheries has also warned breeders against using libertine antibiotics to prevent and cure diseases, and has ordered they regularly renew water.
Some seafood processing and aquaculture enterprises claim that rice growing in close proximity to fish ponds is partly to blame. “Fertiliser, chemicals and pesticides used for rice have impacted the quality of aquatic animals,” said General Director of the An Giang Seafood Export Joint Stock Company (Agifish), Ngo Phuoc Hau.
Some Mekong Delta provinces are implementing projects on aquaculture combined with rice planting as a traditional method for farmers. However, according to Deputy Minister Thang, this model is only suitable for non-industrial fish species, like anabas and sat fish, and not for export fish.
In response to the losses, the fisheries sector has also asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to instruct farmers to protect aquatic resources and the environment.
According to the Fisheries Association, seafood processors bought 420,000 tonnes of tra and basa catfish in 2005, up by nearly 100,000 tonnes over 2004. The figure is expected to increase to 500,000 tonnes this year. | 
