Timely prevention of earthworm fishing with electric shock machines

Despite the warnings of the authorities and local governments, recently, in some localities in the province, people have been using electric shock machines to catch earthworms to sell to purchasing and processing facilities. This behavior needs to be handled because it not only violates the law but also has potential consequences for the environment.

2946e1e3139bc1c5988a,17570817.jpg — Inside an earthworm drying kiln in Quang Chau commune ( Hung Yen city)

According to research in Quang Chau commune (Hung Yen city), the situation of some people catching earthworms with electric shock machines has been popular since the beginning of this year. People mainly catch worms in the alluvial soil along the Red River, where few people pass by. The catching time is usually at night, so it is difficult to detect.

The way to catch worms is very simple. Just use 2 iron rods connected to the electric shocker by electric wire and plug directly into the ground, after a few "beep beep" sounds from the electric shocker, within a radius of about ^2m2, large and small worms gradually rise to the surface of the ground. After collecting the worms, the hunter moves to another location and repeats the old process. On average, each day, 1 electric shocker can catch from 10 to 50kg of live worms. Currently, each kg of live worms is sold for 40,000 to 60,000 VND/kg.

According to the Quang Chau Commune Police, we were present at the worm drying kiln of Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hau's family in Village 1. According to observations, the worm drying kiln was designed quite simply, only about ^5m2 wide, built of bricks, inside were iron racks used to hold the worm drying net. Next to the kiln was the fresh worm slaughtering area with tools such as a knife blade, and a water tap used to wash the worms. Entering this area, the stench was very strong.

It is known that this drying kiln has been operating since the beginning of this year. Every day, the kiln owner buys and processes about 2-3 quintals of live worms. Each batch of worms is dried with firewood for about 4 hours. On average, 12kg of fresh worms can be dried into 1kg of dried worms. Each kg of dried worms is currently sold for 600,000 VND to Chinese traders. When asked what the traders buy dried worms for, the kiln owner said that they buy them to make medicine, and when they see profit, they do it...

According to Lieutenant Colonel Vu Ngoc Hien, Chief of Quang Chau Commune Police: Through inspection and review, there are currently 50 worm catching machines and 4 worm purchasing and processing facilities in the commune. The act of catching earthworms with electric shock machines violates the provisions of Clause 2, Article 7 of the Law on Environmental Protection. However, currently, because there are no sanctions for the act of using electric shock machines to catch worms, we only draw up a record and require the subjects to sign a commitment not to repeat the act of catching worms...

In Hung An commune (Kim Dong), a subject was also discovered using an electric shock machine to catch worms in early August. Immediately after discovering the incident, commune officials went to the subject's house and propagandized, mobilized, and prevented people from using electric shock machines to catch worms. Mobilized people not to assist subjects in other localities in doing the above-mentioned activities to avoid destroying the environment, disrupting biodiversity, affecting soil fertility and plant growth and development; announced on loudspeakers about the harmful effects of destroying earthworms...

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, through inspection and review, by August 14, the whole province had 3/10 districts, towns and cities with cases of using electric shock machines to catch earthworms and had facilities for purchasing and processing. Of which, Hung Yen city had 62 subjects with electric shock machines but no cases of using electric shock machines to catch earthworms were detected (in Hong Chau ward; Lam Son ward; Quang Chau commune and Hong Nam commune); Kim Dong district had 3 subjects using electric shock machines to catch earthworms (in Hung An commune, Dong Thanh commune); Phu Cu district had 1 subject from another place bringing an electric shock machine with the intention of using it to catch earthworms in Nguyen Hoa commune.

Localities have propagated, mobilized, and required people to sign a commitment not to use electric shock machines to catch earthworms, not to purchase or process earthworms; at the same time, encouraged people to actively detect and notify authorities when discovering cases of electric shock to catch earthworms, illegal purchase or processing of earthworms for handling according to the provisions of law.

According to information from the Department of Crop Production (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development), earthworms play an important role in agricultural production. They are likened to a biological plow for farmers, making the soil loose, creating fertility for the soil and helping plants grow and develop favorably. The extermination of earthworms and other beneficial organisms in the soil reduces the quality of cultivated soil, causes pollution, environmental degradation, negatively affects the growth and development of crops, and is also a dangerous activity, easily causing accidents for humans and animals.

Faced with the above situation, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development requests the People's Committees of districts, towns and cities to direct functional agencies, People's Committees of communes, wards and towns to regularly inspect and promptly prevent the activities of catching earthworms with electric shock machines, earthworm processing and preparation facilities, catching with electric shock machines in the area and strictly handle them according to the provisions of law. Continue to propagate and disseminate the provisions of the law on environmental protection, focus on propaganda so that people clearly understand the harmful effects and serious consequences of catching earthworms with electric shock machines on the cultivated layer and the efficiency of agricultural production, not to let the situation of catching earthworms in the province expand, causing negative impacts on agricultural production activities and the natural ecosystem.

The Plant Protection Department and the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center regularly propagate the role of earthworms in many forms; inspect and detect cases of using electric shock machines to catch earthworms; facilities that purchase and process earthworms from catching activities using electric shock machines report to the unit leaders and coordinate with local authorities for timely handling.

Huong Giang

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