Nghe An: Are whales constantly dying due to explosives and marine pollution?

(Baonghean.vn) - In recent days, fishermen in Cua Hoi and Cua Lo areas have been constantly buzzing about the phenomenon of whale carcasses being continuously discovered washed ashore in a short period of time. According to the beliefs of fishermen in coastal areas, whales washing ashore is not a surprising thing, and many people even consider this a good omen. However, the continuous occurrence of "good omens" has made many people worried.

Decomposing whale carcass washed ashore by fishermen on March 16, 2016

On the morning of March 16, fishermen in Xuan Loc hamlet, Nghi Xuan commune (Nghi Loc district) discovered a whale carcass drifting ashore in a state of decomposition. The whale was about 1.5m long and weighed more than 50kg.

Then, on March 20, fishermen in Xuan Duong hamlet, Nghi Xuan commune (Nghi Loc) also discovered a whale carcass drifting near the offshore border between Nghe An and Ha Tinh. They salvaged it and brought it back for burial.

18 days later (April 8), on the way out to sea to catch seafood, the boat of Mr. Nguyen Huu Hoa's family (Tan Nho Block, Nghi Hai Ward, Cua Lo Town) discovered a whale carcass drifting near Cua Hoi sea channel. The fish was nearly 2m long and weighed about 80kg.

And just a few days ago, on April 11, while playing on Cua Lo beach, some tourists discovered the body of a whale washed up on Cua Lo beach, behind Binh Minh square (Nghi Huong ward, Cua Lo town). This whale was small in size, nearly 1m long, weighing about 40kg.

According to fishermen, all four whales mentioned above have in common many injuries on their bodies.

Whale carcass discovered by tourists at Cua Lo beach on April 11, 2016

According to the beliefs of fishermen in the coastal area, whales, also known as whales, are the Gods of the South Sea, often helping fishing boats in distress at sea. The fact that whales die and wash ashore is a good omen, because they were too busy saving people and when they died, they chose land as their resting place. However, the fact that whales continue to die is a problem that makes many people think.

According to Mr. Hoang Thai Son - Chairman of Nghi Huong Ward People's Committee (Cua Lo Town), the phenomenon of many dead fish washing ashore in such a short period of time could be due to fishing vessels using explosives or whales colliding with the propellers of ships and boats. Mr. Son also said that the second possibility is higher and explained that the fishing method of Cua Hoi and Cua Lo fishermen is mainly fishing with nets near the shore and fishing for fish and squid for export. It is known that Nghi Huong Ward has only about 30 workers working in fishing, the rest are mainly in trading and business.

According to the Chairman of Nghi Huong Ward People's Committee, this is not the first case in which the ward has recorded a whale washing ashore. At the same time in 2015, local fishermen also recovered a whale carcass washed ashore at the Fishermen and local authorities held a whale burial ceremony according to folk beliefs.

Talking to Mr. Tran Tien Dung - Chairman of Nghi Hai Commune People's Committee (Cua Lo Town), he said that at present, nothing can be explained, because usually dead fish drift from other places for many days, then fishermen can pick them up. Picking up whale carcasses is very normal, fishermen consider it a good omen, a belief and organize a burial ceremony according to the ritual. Currently, the ward also has Lang Hieu Temple where 97 whale graves are worshiped over time.

The dead whale was buried by fishermen of Nghi Hai ward (Cua Lo town) on April 8, 2016.

Some opinions of fishermen in Nghi Xuan commune (Nghi Loc district) said that currently there are many fishing boats using explosives to exploit seafood, the phenomenon of whales continuously dying like this is very likely due to the impact of this form of destructive fishing.

Recently, from April 6 to 10, in the Vung Ang sea area (Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh), there was a phenomenon of mass deaths of natural fish species. Not only that, 18 fish cages of 14 households with species such as: red snapper, cobia, grouper, barramundi... in this sea area also died en masse, causing estimated damage of over one billion VND. The cause was determined to be water pollution.

Could this be one of the reasons why many whales have died and washed ashore at Cua Lo and Cua Hoi beaches in recent days?

Wang Yun