Post date: Aug 13, 2011 10:56:4 AM
CCTV BEIJING - A large number of fish were found dead over the past week in Zijiang River in central China's Hunan Province, local environmental authorities said on Thursday.
The dead fish, both wild and artificially bred, were found in a 55-km-long section of the Zijiang River in Xinshao County, said Luo Chunyi, head of the county's Environmental Protection Bureau.
Over 130 families running fish farms in Xinshao have experienced a collective loss of more than 200 tons of fish, with direct economic losses reaching 20 million yuan, said Xiao Songhai, the county's deputy head.
The exact number of dead fish cannot be ascertained at present while the local fishermen are all heart-broken over the loss of their fish.
"The fish were dead the day before yesterday (August 8). They didn't eat anything I fed them, then many dead fish were floating on the surface of the river later that day," said a local fisherman.
"One net cage holds 1.6 tons of fish. I have 39 cages that total 60 tons of fish. I invested all my money in them, and I've lost at least more than a million yuan," said another local fisherman.
"I am really heart-broken seeing all these dead fish. I migrated from Xiaoxi Power Station and I live on nothing but fish farming," said a fisherwoman in tears.
A test of the river water conducted by the county's environmental authorities showed that the amount of dissolved oxygen in the river was significantly lower than standard. The authorities said the test results ruled out the possibility of industrial pollution, but did not provide an explanation for the river's low oxygen levels.
The local water resources department is clearing up the dead fish, while the environmental protection bureau is now closely monitoring the water quality of the river.
The Zijiang River, one of the province's four major rivers, runs into the Dongting Lake, the country's second-largest freshwater lake.
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