National science committee to study fish deaths The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has established a national science and technology committee to analyze and assess the reasons behind the mass fish deaths along the central and north-central coast.   Professor Chau Van Minh, President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, will head the committee and has already met experts from Germany, the US and Israel to identify the issues. The committee will focus on all chemical, biological and meteorological factors. MoST said that, to date, almost 100 experts from 30 research institutes and universities have worked on determining the reasons the fish have died. Hundreds of samples of dead fish, seawater, sediment and plankton have been analyzed in a bid to identify any aquatic disease, toxic algae, or chemical toxins. Data on earthquakes, which may cause heat shock, and on sea flows and oil spills have also been collected. The results will be analyzed using modern equipment from the US, Japan and Sweden. Initial analysis has ruled out disease, oil spills and heat shock from earthquakes, while doubt has been cast over biological and chemical causes being responsible. Ministries adopt inspection of fresh environmental protection at Formosa Ha Tinh  A working group including representatives of concerning ministries, leading domestic and foreign experts on the maritime environmental protection yesterday started working with Taiwanese Hung Nghiep Formosa - Ha Tinh Steel Company and Vung Ang Economic Zone in Ha Tinh province following the mass fish death in north central coastal provinces recently. The delegation consisting of six inspection teams including the Ministry of Natural Resource & Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Industry and Trade is scheduled to adopt inspection of law enforcement on fresh environmental protection, wastewater treatment system, gas exhaust and industrial waste management and analyze test results at some projects of Taiwanese Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Company and Vung Ang Economic Zone. In the first day inspection, the delegation received information from leaders of Formosa Ha Tinh Company about its project as well as environmental protection measures. By May 7, the working group will complete analytic work and the test results at Formosa Ha Tinh Company. Heavy metal levels found at in fish samples in central Vietnam ‘safe’ Highly toxic heavy metals founds within seafood samples taken from the two central provinces of Ha Tinh and Quang Tri which were affected by mass fish deaths are within the permitted levels, health authorities have claimed. The Ministry of Health’s National Institute for Food Control announced the results of a test on 16 seafood samples from different markets in Ha Tinh Province, including fish, shrimps and crabs on May 4. According to the test, the content of heavy metals such as mercury, lead and arsenic in these 16 samples remained within permitted levels. However, the institute did not specify what the heavy metal content and the permitted levels were. Earlier, on April 28, the Administration for Food Safety and Hygiene Department and the National Institute for Food Control also took 12 samples of fish, shrimp, crab, cuttlefish and other seafood from the Ky Nam Port in Ha Tinh’s Ky Anh Town. Analysis indicated that that the levels of heavy metals in the samples were still apparently safe. In Quang Tri Province, the Department of Health announced the same result as Ha Tinh after testing 10 samples of dead fish on local beaches. Quang Tri Province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the mass fish deaths had caused losses valued at VND134 billion (USD6.4 million). The problem affected 11,572 local households and 2,522 fishing boats. The losses were even more serious than those regularly reported following major storms, said provincial authorities. Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development requested agencies in the four central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Tri hit by the disaster to take samples of seafood two or three times a day for testing to determine the level of heavy metals. If tests find excessive content of heavy chemicals in the water, the provinces must immediately destroy all the seafood caught in the areas and issue warnings to fishing crews, the ministry said. Some days ago, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment claimed the waters off four central coastal provinces were safe for bathing. Meanwhile, on May 4, the interdisciplinary inspection team led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment started to check the wastewater treatment system of Taiwan-invested Formosa steel plant in Ha Tinh to clarify the links between the company’s wastewater discharge and the mass fish deaths. VN Economic Times/SGGP/Dtinews