Fish die mysteriously in Phuket City

A young boy shows off the day's catch of fish, all scooped out of a brackish pond at Saphan Hin in Phuket City.

PHUKET CITY: Local people were surprised to find large numbers of dead fish floating in the pond in front of Prince of Songkla University’s Saphan Hin campus yesterday morning.

When officials from Phuket City Municipality went to investigate, they found excited residents pulling dead grouper, red snapper and sea mullet from the water.

While locals bagged fish with dinner in mind, municipal officers took others away for testing.

Phuket City Deputy Mayor Taworn Jirapatnasopon said this morning that he was unsure what caused so many fish to die.

“Looking at the eyes it seems they died because there wasn’t enough oxygen in the water. This happens quite often when the sea level changes and sea water gets into the pond,” he said. – Tipwarintron Tanaakarachod

<deleted>? Did they scrape up some roadkill on the way home to have for beakfast?

Maybe the investigators should take a look at the layers of oil lining the shores in the above photo. That might be a "clue."

And if they were grouper, red snapper and sea mullet, why would seawater cause them to die? Those are ocean fish!

Fortunately I am not a seafood person.

I prefer red meat; australian rib eye or US prime tenderloin with a good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Maybe some dynamite fishing? There are selling anything for money.... can't blame the kid

Maybe bleach or other chemical was pour in there in attempt to just gank some easy fish? Terrible way to go if that's what happened. I know Thai and other Asians do NOT have the patience to use a rod and reel, they have to use nets or chemicals.

Think of the sewage mileu as a unique Phuket marinade. By golly, lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury are probably included as an added delight.

I have to wonder why the officials did not confiscate the fish. Even in the most backward parts of the US and EU, people know enough not to eat such fish. (I left out Australia, since Aussies are built tough and can eat anything )

Local officals should hang their heads in shame to have allowed the child to walk away with the fish. Little bodies can't deal with the high concentrations of toxins. Sad. Really sad.

Fortunately I am not a seafood person.

I prefer red meat; australian rib eye or US prime tenderloin with a good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

You think Australian Rib Eye is good, you should try Australian Barramundi from the north, best fish in the world....mmmm now my mouth is watering and I'm yet to taste anything that delicious here.

As for this place, I am always looking for that 3 eyed fish from that episode of the simpsons.....the water is so poluted, anything is possible.

It all adds to the taste....Mmmmm lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury...DELICIOUS!

Fish die mysteriously in Phuket City

A young boy shows off the day's catch of fish, all scooped out of a brackish pond at Saphan Hin in Phuket City.

PHUKET CITY: Local people were surprised to find large numbers of dead fish floating in the pond in front of Prince of Songkla University’s Saphan Hin campus yesterday morning.

When officials from Phuket City Municipality went to investigate, they found excited residents pulling dead grouper, red snapper and sea mullet from the water.

While locals bagged fish with dinner in mind, municipal officers took others away for testing.

Phuket City Deputy Mayor Taworn Jirapatnasopon said this morning that he was unsure what caused so many fish to die.

“Looking at the eyes it seems they died because there wasn’t enough oxygen in the water. This happens quite often when the sea level changes and sea water gets into the pond,” he said. – Tipwarintron Tanaakarachod

Perhaps I'm missing something here but the pond appears to be a fresh water pond, yet the fish that have been described here are all salt water fish. The answer maybe lies in the statement made by the venerable Deputy Mayor when he describes the effects of salt water getting into the pond, did he mean to include the fish also in that statement! Sorry, it all seems a bit muddled.

Fish die mysteriously in Phuket City

A young boy shows off the day's catch of fish, all scooped out of a brackish pond at Saphan Hin in Phuket City.

PHUKET CITY: Local people were surprised to find large numbers of dead fish floating in the pond in front of Prince of Songkla University's Saphan Hin campus yesterday morning.

When officials from Phuket City Municipality went to investigate, they found excited residents pulling dead grouper, red snapper and sea mullet from the water.

While locals bagged fish with dinner in mind, municipal officers took others away for testing.

Phuket City Deputy Mayor Taworn Jirapatnasopon said this morning that he was unsure what caused so many fish to die.

"Looking at the eyes it seems they died because there wasn't enough oxygen in the water. This happens quite often when the sea level changes and sea water gets into the pond," he said. – Tipwarintron Tanaakarachod

Perhaps I'm missing something here but the pond appears to be a fresh water pond, yet the fish that have been described here are all salt water fish. The answer maybe lies in the statement made by the venerable Deputy Mayor when he describes the effects of salt water getting into the pond, did he mean to include the fish also in that statement! Sorry, it all seems a bit muddled.

Well they say it's brackish water, but that was my point, why would more ocean water kill ocean fish? Some things are terribly wrong with the story to begin with, then on top of that it doesn't seem to have been reported accurately. hel_l if I can figure it out. Belongs in queer news I think. I just hope the boy and others don't end up in the hospital. Like Datsun said, it's possible this is a result of some dynamite or poison being used to catch fish. That would explain why the locals are happily plucking the fish out to eat...they know something the "investigators" don't.

And if they were grouper, red snapper and sea mullet, why would seawater cause them to die? Those are ocean fish!

right, and when the high level seawater due to recent high tides receded to the point that the areas where these fish were, or maybe recent rains, and the water became a higher density freshwater, they became chao pad plaa.

All I know is this country hasn't a chance against the likes of swine flu and Chikungunya virus if pulling dead fish from a polluted pond to eat for dinner is the norm for it's citizenry.

It's not a good idea to eat anything that you find lying dead. Reminds me of something I read in a local newspaper in Delhi a number of years ago. A guy found a dead pigeon by the side of the road, he took it home and fed it to his kids, at least one of them died.

Looks to me that the fish died because they were stranded in a shallow pond which became too warm once the sea had receded and the bacteria used up the oxygen, stagnating the water.