Quang Ninh (VNA) - The northern coastal province of Quang Ninh has asked localauthorities to urgently examine and determine thereason for the mass oyster deaths in Tien Yen district.
Reports from TienYen district’s People’s Committee showed that since early March, the deathshave wiped out 75 percent of 7,200 tonnes oysters raised in thedistrict, causing a loss of some 82 billion VND (3.6 million).
Apart from Tien Yendistrict mass oyster deaths are also being recorded in Quang Yen town,Van Don district and Mong Cai city.
Nguyen Huu Giang,Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, said the department had asked specialised units toinspect and collect information on the reason for the oyster deaths.
It had also askedthe General Department of Fisheries, the northern Environmental Monitoring andAquatic Disease Centre and the Veterinary Authority Zone 2 to participate anddetermine measures to stabilise production activities of those affected, hesaid.
Currently, watersamples of the affected area have shown two different results.
Results of thewater analysis of the northern Environmental Monitoring and Aquatic DiseaseCentre, which took place on April 21, revealed that as many as 13 indicators ofthe aquatic environment are within the permitted level.
Although thesalinity was rather high – between 29 and 30 percent of the water – it waswithin the permitted level and would not have impacted the aquaculture.
However,according to results of the Veterinary Authority Zone 2, all three samples ofwater were positive for Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus bacteria.
Giang said theprovince would not yet announce an epidemic, as regulated by the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development in 2016. Currently, the ministry’sCircular 04/2016/TT stipulates that affected localities must announce anepidemic only when the oyster deaths are because the marine creatures have beeninfected with a parasite named Perkinsus.
The departmenthas sent more inspection teams to take samples for further tests to get accurateresults.-VNA