Uncontrolled fishing in HCMC canals TUOI TRE   Scenes of rampant fishing by large numbers of anglers can be seen every day along the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe and two other canals in Ho Chi Minh. These days anyone coming to a section of the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal near the Kieu Bridge can witness anglers using fishing rods each of which has as many as five hooks. With such a method, an angler can catch a fish every two or three minutes. N.V., an angler there, said that he could catch more fish than previously since he used the 5-hook pole and that there was a time when he could gain a full bucket of fish only in an hour. Tran Van Doan, 53, a resident in Ward 1, Binh Thanh District, told Tuoi Tre that that he was previously very happy seeing shoals of fish swim in the canal as it has been nicknamed “the dead canal” due to serious pollution there. In low tide periods, many people even waded into the canal and used nets to catch fish.   Competent agencies should take action to prevent such fishing since it can kill fish en masse, Doan and many other locals said. The same situation is also seen in the Tau Hu-Ben Nghe canal that is located along Vo Van Kiet Street, and Te canal that link Districts 4 and 7. No ban issued Tran The Ky, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Transport, said the fact that fish are appearing in large numbers in the canal is a good sign that proves the pollution there has been reduced considerably. Fishing for fun or relaxation is not a problem, but using nets to catch fish in the canal is unacceptable since it will lead to a shortage of fish in a short time, Ky said. However, the government has yet to issue any ban on the practice, but only bans fishing using electricity. Therefore, the department will ask the city government to issue a ban on fishing using the net, Ky said. Under a regulation of the HCMC People’s Committee, people using nets to catch fish on canals that are used as waterways will be fined as it causes danger to waterway traffic, Nguyen Bat Han, deputy chief inspector of the department, said. Doi, Te, Tau Hu and Ben Nghe are waterway canals, while others like Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe and Tan Hoa-Lo Gom are considered as drainage channels.