Power outage not cause of mass fish deaths in Jashore: Probe

A preliminary investigation into the mass death of fish at an AF fish farm in Sharsha upazila of Jashore has found that frequent power outages were not the main cause of the incident, contrary to claims circulated in various media reports and social media.

The investigation committee formed by the Jashore district administration identified excessive fish stocking, inadequate aeration, high use of protein-rich feed and the resulting biological and nitrogenous waste load, along with abnormalities in water quality, as among the key factors behind the deaths.

The committee visited the affected fish farm near Sonamukhi Beel in Bahadurpur Union yesterday (25 August) to determine the actual cause of the incident, according to a press release from the Jashore DC office sent by the energy ministry today (26 August).

During the field visit, the committee collected statements from relevant people, examined records of electricity supply and assessed the quality of water in the affected ponds through the Department of Fisheries.

According to the preliminary findings, electricity supply to the relevant feeder was interrupted for around 44 minutes, from 1:42am to 2:26am on 22 August.

However, electricity supply to the feeder was generally normal both before and after the interruption, the investigation found.

More importantly, fish had already started dying at the farm before the reported power outage occurred, the committee said.

The investigation also found no factual evidence to support claims that frequent power cuts had caused the fish deaths.

Instead, an assessment of the affected ponds and their water quality revealed several management and technical deficiencies.

These included an excessively high stocking density of fish, the application of large quantities of high-protein feed, increased pressure from organic and nitrogenous waste, and an abnormal proliferation of phytoplankton.

The committee also found irregularities in the levels of pH, ammonia and dissolved oxygen in the water, as well as inadequate aeration compared with the requirements of the fish stock.

The absence of an alternative power supply system for maintaining aeration during emergencies was also identified as a significant management weakness.

The investigation committee said the combined impact of these factors appeared to be the primary cause of the mass fish deaths based on the information and data available so far.

The district administration also pointed to inconsistencies between statements made by the farm owners and the findings of the investigation.

The farm owners have told different media outlets that they had invested heavily in the farm, maintained a large quantity of fish and suffered substantial financial losses because of the incident.

At the same time, they reportedly said that they had been unable to install a generator because of financial constraints.

The district administration said there appeared to be an inconsistency in these claims, as the investment required to establish an alternative power source capable of keeping the aeration system running during emergencies would have been relatively small compared with the investment and value of assets claimed by the farm owners.

The administration also found that the farm owners’ allegations of frequent power interruptions did not correspond with electricity supply records and information obtained during the investigation.

Officials said the findings available at this stage indicate that the incident cannot primarily be attributed to defects in the electricity distribution system or frequent load-shedding.

The district administration said the investigation findings were preliminary and based on the information and data collected so far.

It urged all concerned, including media outlets and social media users, to verify information properly before publishing or circulating claims about the incident.

The administration made the appeal in the interest of ensuring that the public receives accurate and objective information, warning against the dissemination of misleading, exaggerated or unverified information without proper fact-checking.