Floods decimate snail, lobster crop in central commune

By Tien Thanh   November 6, 2016 | 06:27 am PT
'Flash floods triggered by 48-hour rains sent freshwater streaming into the coastal saltwater farms, triggering the die-off.'

Farmed lobsters and sweet snails in Xuan Canh Commune all went belly up in the flash flood that swept through Phu Yen Province.

Over 200 households in the town of Song Cau lost their snail and lobser crops, according to local officials.

The floods have done harm to more than 2,000 cages of lobster and sweet snail, which are going to be harvested, in the commune.

The floods claimed over 2,000 cages of lobsters and sweet snail in a single commune.

Farmer Le Xuan Thuong said he has 20 cages with more than 100 lobsters in each cage. About 80 percent of the lobsters have been found dead in the last three days. The rest is likely to die soon.

Farmer Le Xuan Thuong had 20 cages containing roughly 100 lobsters each. About 80 percent of the lobsters died in the last three days. He expects the rest will soon follow.

Le Van Doan (R), another farmer, raises lobsters in 30 cages. He looks sad as divers are collecting dead lobsters from his cages. He said he lost about VND300 million ($13,268) from the floods.

Le Van Doan (R), another farmer, has 30 lobster cages. He looks sad as divers pull dead lobsters from his cages. He said he lost about VND300 million ($13,268) in the flood.

Thuong said he has to collect the dead and smelly lobsters to make the cages clean.

Thuong has had to clean rotting lobsters from the cages in the hopes of protecting the survivors.

A blue lobster, which is going to die soon, has been collected.

A moribund blue lobster.

Farmer Nguyen Xuan Thanh said one kilogram of fresh blue lobsters often costs about VND1.7 million ($75) but the same quantity of dead lobsters is only worth VND220,000 ($9.8)-VND550,000 ($24.3).

Farmer Nguyen Xuan Thanh claimed a kilogram of fresh blue lobsters fetched around VND1.7 million ($75) but the same quantity of dead lobsters is only worth VND220,000 ($9.8)-VND550,000 ($24.3).

Flash floods triggered by 48-hour rains have sent freshwater to the surface of the coastal seawater, which led to the mass deaths of the lobsters, said Nguyen Xuan Loc, a farmer with more than 30 years of experiences in lobster raising in the commune.

Flash floods triggered by 48-hour rains sent freshwater streaming into the coastal saltwater farms, triggering the die-off, said Nguyen Xuan Loc, a farmer with more than 30 years of experience raising lobsters in the commune.

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A farmer burying dead lobsters on the coast.

Sweet snails raised by farmers in Xuan Canh are also found dead after the floods.

Sweet snails raised by farmers in Xuan Canh also died during the floods.

Farmer Dang Van Tra said all of the sweet snails in his farms are dead after the floods, causing him a loss of about VND200 million ($8,850).

Farmer Dang Van Tra lost his entire snail crop in the flood; he estimates this will cost him about VND200 million ($8,850).

The dead sweet snails are sold at VND20,000 (88 cents) per kg, much lower than VND120,000 for a kg of fresh sweet snails.

Dead sweet snails fetch about VND20,000 (88 cents) per kilogram, about a sixth of the price when alive.

But some locals are repairing the damaged cages, hoping for a better farming season.

But some locals are repairing the damaged cages, hoping for a better farming season.

Nguyen Trong Tung, director of Phu Yen Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, told VnExpress the province is in process of gathering information about affected households and will initiate a support scheme soon.

Seven people died in Phu Yen in the floods, which have ravaged the region in recent days.

Related news:

Floods claim 15 lives in central Vietnam

 
 
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