The journey of the ocean sunfish to... the Red Book

(Baonghean) -The story of the rare ocean sunfish caught in a fisherman's net, then almost becoming... a dish if someone hadn't bought the fish in time and donated it to the Vietnam Museum of Nature, made us return to the coastal commune of Quynh Phuong (Quynh Luu). Talking with the simple fishermen who make a living at sea all year round and the person who bought and donated the fish - a very young man, we couldn't help but wonder about the protection of rare marine species in particular, and those listed in the Red Book in general...

Strange fish

Luckily, when we arrived at the house of Mr. Ho Van Doan, the captain of the boat that brought back the sunfish, we saw all the fishermen of this boat sitting together mending their nets and not yet going to sea for another trip. The story about the sunfish seemed to be very lively. Mr. Ho Xuan Nhan, the first person to hold the fish in his hand when removing it from the net, drew a picture of the fish on the ground to help us visualize its size, and said: "When I held it in my hand, it was still alive and still wriggling. I saw that it did not resemble any fish I had ever seen before, so I did not know if it was a sunfish or a moonfish. Its head was a bit like a puffer fish, but its body was not. Unfortunately, my brothers and I did not have a boat to bring the fish back, so after a while on the boat, it died. So we iced it, let it lie in the ice for a week before returning to shore." Mr. Ho Van Doan also exclaimed: "I have never seen a fish like that in my whole life. When I came back and was told, I realized it was a fish in the Red Book."

This 15 kg ocean sunfish was caught in the fishermen’s net on the first day of the 8-day trip (April 9). When the boat docked, many people came to the dock to see the strange fish with their own eyes.

Staff of Vietnam Museum of NatureMalecheck the sunfish

According to the "Vietnam Red Book"Male"The ocean sunfish is a rare animal. "It has a round oval body, very flat on both sides, a very small mouth, short but very high dorsal and anal fins, almost symmetrical. The pectoral fins are small and circular. The caudal fin is low but long, encircling the entire back of the body, the outer edge of the fin is only slightly wavy. The skin is rough, thin, and not covered with scales. There is no lateral line. The face and gill slits are small. The ocean sunfish is distributed in tropical seas. When the weather is warm, they reach both the northern and southern temperate zones.Maleequator. On clear and calm days, they often surface and expose part of their body and dorsal fin above the water surface to catch zooplankton. When there is heavy rain, strong wind or when chasing prey, they flip their body sideways in the water, using their dorsal and anal fins to swim very quickly. The ocean sunfish is a pelagic fish, widely distributed. In the waters of VietnamMaleOnly discovered once in the Gulf of Tonkin. This species has a large body, so it has economic significance, and is easily detected and hunted. It is completely forbidden to exploit ocean sunfish in any form. If caught, they must be released immediately while they are still alive.

And people buy fish to... donate to the Museum

Immediately after hearing the buzz in the village about the strange fish that Doan's boat caught, Pham Xuan Chien immediately went to find it. When he learned that the fishermen intended to put the fish on the drinking menu, Chien did not hesitate to spend money to buy it back and immediately contacted the staff of the Vietnam Museum of Nature.Maleto quickly take measures to bring fish back for preservation and research purposes.

Meeting Mr. Chien, we were completely surprised by this young man with a scholarly, fair complexion. Coming from the sea, but not following a seafaring career like many of his peers, Chien stayed home and opened a shop to buy, sell, and repair computers. His passion for technology combined with his love for marine creatures created a "fate" between him and the ocean sunfish. This is not the first time Chien bought and donated an ocean sunfish to the Museum of Nature. Two years ago, Mr. Chien remembers that on April 25, 2010, in Quynh Lap commune, someone caught a strange fish weighing 30 kg and brought it to Quynh Phuong beach to... sell. Seeing everyone talking about the strange fish, Chien went to see it and bought it. After that, he took a photo and posted it online to ask the online community if anyone knew what kind of fish it was. After knowing that this was a sunfish, a rare fish listed in the Red Book, he tried to contact the Vietnam Museum of Nature to donate the fish. From then on, Chien became more aware of learning about marine creatures. Whenever he heard that people caught something strange, he paid attention to find out more. He was also the one who, together with the authorities and functional agencies, mobilized people to release the precious turtle back into the sea last year. He realized that what he did was not only a joy but also a responsibility. Since when, he has become a "volunteer" in promoting and protecting rare marine creatures in his homeland. He shared: "I bought fish and donated them to the museum simply to do good deeds for society. I hope that my work will be of some benefit, helping those with expertise and authority to conduct scientific research."

Protecting rare marine life: many difficulties

Discussing the story of the ocean sunfish and the question of protecting rare marine species with Mr. Ho Ngoc Ha - Vice Chairman of Quynh Phuong Commune, he said: "The local government has also organized many conferences with the Farmers' Association and the Fisheries Association to promote the protection of rare fish species. If fishermen catch rare fish or marine animals, they will release them back into the sea. In the case of the ocean sunfish this time, the fish was dead when it was brought back. But from promoting to awareness and implementation is a difficult process..."

Through our research, people's awareness of the responsibility to protect rare marine species is still very vague, even almost zero. They do not know that if they catch ocean sunfish, they need to release them back into the sea immediately, and they do not know what the "Red Book" is. Propagating the ban on hunting wild animals in the forest seems clearer and easier than with marine species, because after all, people entering the forest to hunt is "breaking the law". Talking with Mr. Pham Van Luc - Director of the Vietnam Museum of Nature, we learned that currently, out of 30,000 specimens displayed and preserved in the museum, marine creatures account for a very small number, with only 3 ocean sunfish (of which 2 come from the Quynh Luu sea area, donated by Mr. Chien), "not because marine creatures are strictly protected, but because they are turned into food before museum staff come to them". Mr. Luc said, there were times when fishermen in a sea area were informed that they had caught a rare fish, when museum staff arrived, they only found... bones and the people innocently replied: "We butchered and ate them". Most of the time, fishermen used whatever fish they caught to make food. Only a few, when they caught a strange fish, were afraid of "divine fish" and sold or buried it. It was not uncommon for fishermen, when they saw museum staff coming to buy it, to think the fish they caught was rare and "shouted" the price to billions of dong. Many people were quite surprised when museum staff came to buy fish, turtles... and then released them back into the sea. "That's why things like Mr. Chien's are very valuable" - Mr. Luc said - "and awareness and protection of rare creatures, especially marine creatures, is currently at an alarming level".

Conclusion

Saying goodbye to the men of the coastal region with dark skin, innocent smiles, hands quickly untangling the net with an unfinished story about the ocean sunfish, saying goodbye to the house next to the beach with the murmuring sound of waves, rustling in the pine forest, saying goodbye to the young man with a scholarly appearance sitting peacefully behind his counter buying, selling, and repairing computers, we returned to the unanswered concerns of the fishermen here: The profession of birds of the sky and fish of the water, God-given career, fishermen only know how to catch enough fish to bring back to the boat, but the matter of how to deal with strange fish, rare fish that need to be protected, is still a rather distant matter...

Thuy Vinh - Ho Lai