Dead Babylon snails in Hà Tĩnh. Prolonged hot weather in the central region was determined to be the main cause of the mass deaths. — Photo vov.vn

HÀ TĨNH — The Department of Husbandry and Veterinary in the central province of Hà Tĩnh on Tuesday announced that prolonged hot weather was part of the cause of the mass deaths of snails reported in the locality.

The department said warm water had killed hundreds of tonnes of spotted Babylon snails being raised by farmers in the province’s Cẩm Xuyên District. It also blamed the farmers for clumsy breeding techniques.

In late April, snails were found to have died en mass in breeding ponds, causing financial losses for breeders.

Lê Xuân Diệu, a local farmer, said snails in four out of his six ponds had died for a total loss of VNĐ1 billion (US$42,000). Diệu added that he and other farmers attempted to treat the water with chemicals to prevent more deaths but their steps were ineffective.

The department had farmers clean affected ponds with chemicals to ensure they were ready for the next crop.

Local farmers said this was the first time they had seen mass snail deaths. Twenty-two hectares have been affected.

Fish raised in floating cages in Quảng Điền District in the central province of Thừa Thiên-Huế have also been found dead in recent days.

The district’s agriculture and rural development division said sunlight and abnormally high temperatures have lowered oxygen levels in the cages, killing the fish. The floating cage breeding technique has been popular among locals since the Formosa toxic spill in 2016, which greatly reduced the supply of wild sea fish in the locality.

Hot weather, with temperatures reaching 42 degrees Celsius, has hit the central region since early April. It is expected to last for most of this month. — VNS