Dead protected manta ray saddens conservationist
MIRI: A conservationist and marine wildlife lover here has expressed sadness over a protected giant reef manta ray which wound up dead in the nets of fishermen in Sibuti waters here.
Borneo Ghost Nets Hunter (Future Ocean Borneo) founder Iqbal Abdollah said the incident could have been a case of the gentle sea creature getting itself entangled in the fishermen’s nets, but nevertheless felt it should have been immediately reported to the authorities.
“We are not sure if the ray was accidentally caught after getting entangled in the fishermen’s nets and at such, we cannot simply blame them as they might also not be aware that it is a protected species,” he said when contacted by The Borneo Post yesterday.
A video of the dead manta ray being brought to shore was widely shared on social media, prompting an investigation by Sarawak Forestry Corporation.
Iqbal said the colour of the carcass in the video indicated the ray had been dead for some time prior to being brought to shore.
Sources, meanwhile, said the dead manta ray was hauled up by a group of fishermen from their fishing nets either Sunday night or early yesterday morning, with the meat later sold at RM5 per kilogramme.
It has been a protected species in Malaysia since July 2019, under the Fisheries (Control of Endangered Species of Fish (Amendment) Regulations 2019.
Fishermen would not normally catch this fish due to the protection status but it is not listed under the Sarawak Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1988.