Vietnamese fishocide caught on camera (video)

Aftermath of a road-side live fish spill in Vietnam.
Video by Patrika Madhya Pradesh

There was more than a little fishy business going on last week when a truck carrying a load of live fish in Vietnam ended up spilling its load all over the roadway resulting in a ‘fishocide’.

With seafood being a major export industry for the country –– Vietnam seafood exports topped $612 million in 2017, up from only $66 million in 1998 — any loss is considered a loss to the nation of a valuable resource.

In video clip posted above a torrent of water can be rushing down the side of the road. As the camera pans up, a roadway littered with the unlikely sight of hundreds of plate size fish, some appearing to weigh more than several kilograms (1kg = 2.2 lbs), flipping and flopping, gasping for oxygen. A bus is seen stopped on the side of the road, its pathway blocked by stunned and dying fish.

As the videographer follows the source of the gushing torrent the size of the ‘fishocide’ becomes more apparent. A truck on its side is soon revealed, while around it the number of flopping fish decreasing the closer the camera gets.

Traffic comes to a standstill near Tay Ninh in southern Vietnam when a large brace of ducks decide to cross the road. Video THÀNH PHỐ TÂY NINH

From the video it appears the truck may have been heading down the incline, the driver losing control of his truck due to the sudden movement of water inside the tanks as the result of an violent driving action. What appears to be a wrecked motorbike briefly visible at the 1:29 mark.

After documenting the scene of the crash and source of the ‘fishocide’, the videographer heads back the way he came. People begin to clear a path on one side of the road to allow traffic to flow, a Vietnamese soldier appearing on the scene at the 2.33 mark.

As news of the ‘fishocide’ spreads more people begin to arrive, however, with the exception of one man dressed in orange, who carefully selects several species of fish before walking away with them — no doubt to administer first aid, the majority of people are more interested taking photos, and continuing to their destination.

Agricultural-type hazards re nothing new on Vietnam roads. A few months ago a large brace of ducks were filmed using a zebra crossing near Tay Ninh in southern Vietnam, in a seemingly endless procession.

The March 28 video, which runs more than one and a half minutes, shows how the ducks bring traffic to a standstill at a rainy intersection.

While a few motorcyclists manage to edge their way through the endless stream of ducks, other drivers have no choice, but to cede right-of-way until the ducks have waddled off on their merry way.