“After ten recent inspections in HCMC and nearby provinces, the inspectors discovered 455 violations of catching fish by electricity. This causes a serious decline of the aquatic products in the region’s waterways,” said Dang Van Thuan of the agency.

Thuan told the Daily on Tuesday that in HCMC the agency had found many violations on fishing by electricity in suburban districts such as Can Gio, Cu Chi and Binh Chanh.

He said catching fish by electricity was feared to exterminate most aquatic animals in the near future because fish, shrimp, frogs and others are left floating on the surface in a twinkling after they are stunned by electricity.

The method uses a transformer to pulse current from a battery or power generator before the current is delivered into the water to stun the fish.

Thuan said that to control the increase of illegal electrofishing in the region the agency had been coordinating with ten southern provinces for overall inspections from May 6 to on Wednesday.

He also said after a preliminary report of the one-week inspection that 135 other cases of illegal fishing had been found, including many violations for electrofishing.

According to the agency, related agencies in the region need to encourage and support local people, especially the poor, to stop electrofishing and to breed more freshwater animals to keep them in existence.   

According to a Government decree which was issued in March and takes effect on Saturday, any violation in illegal electrofishing will be fined from VND2 million to VND20 million.