Sea icing causing widespread fish deaths

Yantai (CNS) – Frigid temperatures continue to spread disaster in the Yellow and Bohai Seas, as winter brings ever more severe cold and increased snowfall. The maximum thickness of ice cover in the fish culture area of Dingzizui Bay has reached 10 cm and caused vast numbers of fish to perish in the area.

The fish culture region controlled by Dongfang Seafood Company in Dingzizui Bay has completely frozen over, confirmed frontier defense police officer Zou Guoan on February 3. The average depth of ice in these waters is 4 cm.

It is not unknown for the company to suffer icing over in its culture area of 5,000 acres, but this year the freeze-over caused unprecedented fish deaths, and if this kind of phenomenon continues or worsens, even the sea cucumbers living at the sea bed will die of hypoxia.

It is rare to see such a large area of sea icing, says Wang Zibin who has been farming fish in these waters for 30 years.

At present, fish farmers are working hard to reduce their losses by breaking the ice and pumping oxygen into the water. Zou Anguo revealed the local government has already started on an anti-icing plan to help the affected farmers.