Electric fishing: Destroying fish and shrimp, playing with death

(Baonghean.vn) – Using electric shock to catch fish, in addition to destroying aquatic life, people also hang their lives on the jaws of death. However, despite being warned and even fined, there are still people who choose this “profession” to make a living.

The fishing tool is very simple, a 12V battery connected to a 220V electric booster; two bamboo poles 2-3m long, one pole has a sharp steel rod at the end connected to the positive pole with the switch, the other pole is connected to an iron net connected to the negative pole. When the two poles are poked into the water, turning on the switch will cause an electric pulse, fish and aquatic animals within a 3m radius will be electrocuted to death or permanently injured.

Electric fishing is highly destructive. When exposed to electric shock, aquatic animals will not develop normally, small ones will die, and large ones will have difficulty reproducing. Photo taken in Hien Son commune, Do Luong district.

In Yen Thanh district, this highly destructive "fishing gear" is being used widely, causing the inland aquatic resources to become increasingly depleted, and there was a case of electrocution death in 2015. The victim was Mr. Tran Van Hue (born in 1985, residing in Minh Chau hamlet, Van Thanh commune, died while catching fish with electric shock on Dinh river). Despite this, many people are not afraid and continue to use electric shock to catch fish. (Photo taken in Hoa Tham hamlet, Trung Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district).

Currently, you only need to spend 1 million VND to buy a generator, plus a 500,000 VND battery to have a complete set of tools. Simple installation, relatively cheap price, so many people have bought this fishing tool to make their own.

In the past, many canals had natural grass carp, bighead carp, and bighead carp, but now they have been so exterminated that only a few small fish remain.

In Hien Son (Do Luong district), according to Mr. Nguyen Quang Dung, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, although the act of using electric shock to catch fish has been banned by the government, there are still more than 30 households that are still operating secretly and consider this a profession to make a living. Every year, the number of fines is up to nearly 40 cases, but due to the profit (each day of using electric shock can earn from 200 to 300 thousand VND), many people still re-offend after being punished.

According to Mr. Hoang Ngoc Tuan, chairman of Dang Son commune (Do Luong), one of the localities where the use of electric shock to catch fish still occurs, since last year the commune has handled more than 10 violations by confiscating tools and imposing administrative fines. Although the commune government has made efforts to prohibit it, people still secretly do it at night.

Local authorities need to be more drastic in inspecting and punishing places selling electric shock devices, increasing patrols and raids in places where people often shock fish; propagandizing and analyzing the dangers and harms of using illegal electric shock devices; need to strictly punish violators, confiscate and destroy evidence, and not tolerate this illegal behavior.

QuynhBar