Seafood factories deny responsibility for mass fish poisoning in Vung Tau  Over a dozen seafood processing factories in Tan Thanh District, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province have denied responsibility for the mass death of fish at nearby farms. Ba Ria-Vung Tau People’s Committee yesterday held a meeting between local agencies, representatives of the 13 companies and farmers in Long Son Commune, who have accused the companies of discharging untreated waste water into the Cha Va River. The meeting discussed possible causes, the responsibilities of the companies and potential compensation for the farmers. According to a report from the local Department of Environment and Natural Resources, there were four reasons that led to the deaths but the main cause was untreated discharge from seafood processing factories. The local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development estimated that total losses of local farmers amounted to VND 17 billion. However, representatives of the companies disputed the report from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, claiming the fish had died due to improper rearing techniques by the fish farmers. "We all have our waste water treatment system regularly inspected by local authorities," a representative said. "It's not fair to say that the fish died due to our activities. We urge the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to reconsider their assessment and give proper evidence for their conclusion." Vice chairman of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Nguyen Thanh Tinh who chaired the meeting said that this was a serious environmental problem and strong action was needed. "We called on the 13 firms to take their responsibilities seriously and compensate the local farmers following the illegal actions outlined in the report," Tinh said.  "If they can’t agree on the compensation, we may have to bring the case to court." Dozens of farmers in Long Son Commune have recently seen their fish dying en mass, leading to losses of billions of dong. The farmers said their fish stopped feeding, became lethargic and died, apparently due to a lack of oxygen in the water. They blamed the fish deaths on the dumping of untreated waste by seafood processing factories located in Tan Hai Commune. The farmers have dumped thousands of dead fish outside some factories to protest against their activities. Dantrinew