Trash from illegal seafood farms collected at Ha Long Bay

The two bays have been filled up with styrofoam buoys since authorities closed down several illegal fish cages over a week ago.

Cao Tuong Huy, acting chairman of Quang Ninh, said Ha Long and Cam Pha towns, which respectively manage Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay, had dismissed the farms but did not have any plan to deal with the styrofoam waste that seafood farming households had dumped in the water after relocating.

Ha Long Bay management board said it had collected 2,500 cubic meters of styrofoam buoys and 50 pieces of bamboo rafts in recent weekends.

Cam Pha, which manages Bai Tu Long Bay, has collected over 250,000 buoys and more than 1,000 bamboo raft pieces.

“The buoys have affected not just the environment but tourism services as well as the waterway traffic,” said a representative of Ha Long Bay’s management board.

All related units must finish collecting trash discarded from relocated seafood farms before April 28, as ordered by the acting chairman.

Quang Ninh has a 250 km-long coastline and is home to 50,000 hectares of seawater.

According to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the illegal farms occupy 970 hectares.

Both Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay are tourist attractions known for luxury cruise tours that weave through picturesque karst mountains.