On July 3, Mr. Lo Duong Khanh - Chairman of Tam Thai Commune People's Committee, Nghe An province - said that the locality had a document reporting to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Nghe An province after the mass fish deaths appeared in people's cages on the Lam River.
According to Mr. Khanh, the phenomenon of fish deaths appeared from June 20 at cages along the Lam River, concentrated in 2 villages Canh Trap and Tan Hop, Tam Thai commune. It is estimated that by this time, the number of dead fish is more than 1 ton.
According to a report by Tam Thai Commune People's Committee, there are 35 fish farming cages of people on the Lam River that have experienced unusual fish deaths. Some farmed fish have reached a weight of about 1.8-2.5kg/fish, preparing for harvest time.
Ms. Vong Thi Bich's family (resident of Canh Trap village) suffered damage of about 240kg of fish near the date of sale. According to Ms. Bich, the fish showed signs of lethargy, loss of appetite, head floating and dying sporadically from June 20; peak from June 30 to now.
In addition to economic losses, households also have to mobilize manpower to collect dead fish, in order to limit the risk of environmental pollution in the cage area.
After receiving people's feedback, Tam Thai Commune People's Committee sent specialized officials to conduct actual inspections at the farming cages. Through initial inspection, the locality has not clearly recorded typical clinical manifestations of infectious diseases in fish.
The Chairman of Tam Thai Commune People's Committee said that according to the initial report of professional officials, the water environment in the cage area showed signs of abnormality. The water surface appeared with oil-like streaks, and there was a lot of sediment hanging in the water.
However, to determine the exact cause, the commune has requested the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Nghe An province, the Sub-Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance of Nghe An to send a working group and professional staff to directly inspect the actual situation in the area where the fish death phenomenon occurred," Mr. Khanh informed.
Previously, at the beginning of May 2026, in the Lam River section passing through Anh Son commune, Nghe An province, 13 cage fish farming households also discovered dead fish floating white on the water surface, estimated damage of about 8.5 tons.
After inspection, the Sub-Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Resources Surveillance of Nghe An province determined that the mass death of caged fish on the Lam River section passing through Anh Son commune was an incident due to environmental changes, not a common epidemic.
