Giant fish caught off Digha coast in Bengal; sold for ₹50k

GIANT MANTA RAYS ARE LISTED AS VULNERABLE UNDER THE IUCN AND PARTS OF IT ARE USED IN CHINESE MEDICINE, ALTHOUGH THE FISH THEMSELVES ARE NOT PRIZED FOR THEIR MEAT

nBHUBANESWAR: A large fish belonging to the Ray family, most likely a giant Manta Ray given the location, was caught by a group of fishermen off the Digha coast near the Odishawest Bengal border on Monday morning.

Director of West Bengal United Fishermen Association, Pinaki Ranjan Kar said the fish weighed in around 800 kg and was caught by a group of fishermen 8 km off the Udaypur beach in Odisha near Digha . “The fishermen were shocked when they saw the fish in the net. The fishermen in Digha call it Shankar fish and resembles the ear of an elephant,” said Kar. The fish was 8 feet long and 5 feet wide. “Though the fishermen in Digha have earlier caught such fish, this was the heaviest,” he added.

Sankar or Shankar fish is a generic name for all Rays in parts of East India.

HT couldn’t independently verify the weight of the Manta Ray, though the species is known to reach much larger sixes (wingspans up to 7-8 metres in some cases; and weights in excess of 2000 kg)

Kar said that soon after the news of the catch spread, a huge crowd to catch a glimpse of the fish at Digha. Later, a fish trading firm from West Bengal’s Ranighat locality of West Bengal bought it at a price of ~50,000. Parts of the Manta Ray (the gills for instance) are used in Chinese medicine, although the fish themselves are not prized for their meat. Giant Manta Rays are listed as vulnerable under the IUCN.

Additional director of fisheries(marine) in Bhadrak, Chitta Ranjan Sahu said he is still verifying the authenticity of the video. “Our people are trying to speak to the fishermen who caught the fish,” said Sahu.

In March another large Manta Ray, weighing around 300 kg was caught by fishermen off the Digha coast. In January, a 200 kg one was caught in waters off Balaramgadi beach in Odisha.