Police intervene in investigation, 70000 pounds of fish suddenly die in a fish pond | fish pond | police

Recently, Ms. Su, the owner of a fish pond in Dayao Village, Gangji Town, Changfeng County, Anhui Province, stated that after a heavy rain on June 5th, flowing water from all directions converged and flowed into her fish pond through a newly built box culvert. The next day, a large number of fish died in the pond and suffered heavy losses.

On June 10th, Ms. Su's son, Mr. Zheng, introduced to Jimu News reporters that the dead fish weighed approximately 70000 pounds.

At present, the environmental protection departments of the city, county, and town have conducted investigations in fish ponds and taken samples of water bodies and dead fish for inspection, but the results have not been released. The local fisheries department stated that no obvious symptoms of fish disease were found on site. A local deputy town mayor once stated that it has been preliminarily determined that the death of fish was caused by industrial waste polluting the fish pond water. The police said that this matter is under further investigation.

A large number of fish die in the fish pond

About 70000 kilograms of fish died mysteriously after heavy rain

According to Mr. Zheng, he usually works in the city and his parents are mainly responsible for managing the fish pond at home. On June 7th, upon hearing the news, he rushed back to the village to inspect the fish pond and found a large number of dead fish floating on the edge of the pond. Dead fish include grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp, tilapia, crucian carp, etc. Most grass carp weigh around 7 pounds visually, while crucian carp weigh around 1 pound. Silver carp, bighead carp, and tilapia are of moderate size.

Mr. Zheng told reporters that the current area of the fish pond is over 80 acres, and about 70000 kilograms of fish have died this time. If normal aquaculture is carried out by the end of this year, it is conservatively estimated that the fish population will reach 140000 kilograms, with a total value exceeding one million yuan.

Mr. Zheng recalled that a few days before the incident of the dead fish, some fish did not eat and floated on the water surface. At that time, his parents changed the water and sprinkled medicine on the fish pond, but there were no major problems. But unexpectedly, the heavy rain on June 5th caused a lot of water to flow into the fish pond, and then the fish in the pond began to swim in large numbers to the surface without eating. On June 6th, a large number of fish died.

Mr. Zheng said that due to the high temperature and the fact that the fish have been dead for a long time, a strong fish odor can now be smelled by the fish pond. On the 7th, he and his father salvaged dead fish together. "There are too many dead fish to catch, so we have suspended the operation." He said that after the incident, he did not know whether the water in the fish pond was toxic and did not dare to release it easily, fearing it would cause secondary pollution. "If we poison downstream animals and plants again, we cannot afford it."

Newly built highway with box culvert outlet connected to fish pond

Mr. Zheng told reporters that his family's fish pond has been in operation for 15 years, during which there has never been a large number of fish deaths. The fish pond is only used for pure aquaculture and not for fishing. If parents encounter individuals with unknown situations fishing in the pond, they will politely persuade them to leave and never have any conflicts with others.

The contract provided by Mr. Zheng's mother, Ms. Su, to the media shows that her family has signed an 18 year contract with four village groups in Dayao Village to contract about 100 acres of Xibei Reservoir for aquaculture. The contract started in 2008 and terminated in 2026, and has been in operation for 15 years until this year.

The fish pond is adjacent to a newly built road

According to Mr. Zheng, recently, a road was built near the fish pond, and the pond was expropriated, occupying a portion of the area. This road connects one of the culvert outlets to a fish pond. On June 5th, after a heavy rain, flowing water from all directions converged and finally flowed into the fish pond through a box culvert.

Local media reporters noticed during on-site visits that there are multiple warehousing and logistics centers around the fish pond, and beneath a brand new asphalt road, there is a thicker box culvert buried. The exit on one side is facing Ms. Su's fish pond, while the other side gathers water from multiple directions.

According to insiders, the downstream of the fish pond where a large number of dead fish float is the Dafangying Reservoir, which is one of the important drinking water sources for the citizens of Hefei.

Dead fish floating in the pond

Preliminary judgment on industrial waste pollution of fish pond water bodies

In recent days, whether the water quality of the fish pond has been polluted, what is the specific cause of fish mortality, and how to deal with a large number of dead fish have put Mr. Zheng and his family in a dilemma.

Previously, Deputy Mayor Tao, who is in charge of environmental protection in Gangji Town, told the media that "it has been preliminarily determined that industrial waste was dumped into the municipal rainwater grate, which was carried by rainwater to the fish pond causing water pollution." He said that relevant personnel have been arranged to work with the fish pond owner to harmless treat the dead fish in the fish pond, and the environmental protection department will also issue a water body inspection report. Next, the polluted water will be treated based on expert opinions.

Mr. Zheng also told reporters that Deputy Mayor Tao had informed him that the cause of fish death was related to industrial waste dumped near the fish pond.

On the afternoon of the 10th, the reporter contacted the government of Gangji Town, and a duty officer said that Deputy Mayor Tao was indeed in charge of environmental protection, but he was unaware of the progress of the investigation. The reporter called Deputy Mayor Tao, who hung up the phone citing "something is happening now.".

On the afternoon of the 10th, the reporter learned from the person in charge of the Fisheries and Fisheries Department of Changfeng County Agriculture and Rural Bureau that after receiving the report on June 7th, relevant personnel from the department went to the fish pond where the incident occurred for inspection, and no obvious symptoms of fish disease were found on site. At present, local environmental protection and police are taking the lead in further investigation and disposal of this fish death incident. According to his understanding, the specific cause of death has not been identified yet.

Salvaging dead fish ashore

Mr. Zheng told reporters that after the dead fish incident attracted attention, staff from environmental protection departments at the city, county, and town levels all went to the scene for investigation, sampling and testing the water quality of the dead fish, fish ponds, and their surrounding areas.

Mr. Zheng said that on the evening of the 9th, the town organized personnel to salvage the remaining dead fish and use excavators to bury them for harmless treatment. At present, no relevant testing reports have been received, and family members are also waiting for an investigation and processing result.

On the afternoon of the 10th, the reporter learned from the Gangji Town Police Station that this matter is being handled by a dedicated person and is under further investigation.