The 10 Million Dong Vietnamese Shark Hunt
In the days of a more socially aware fishing community it is sad to see the backwards Jaws logic being still applied overseas. Here's one such example of an issue that serves to highlight how much work there is to do in Asian countries and why examples need to be set in our own backyards.
The Backstory
Since July 2009 there have been around 10 people attacked by a shark in the Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province of Vietnam. On January 9 2010 three people where bitten in one day by a shark that weighed anything from 20-40 kilograms according to it's victims. While local fishermen acknowledge the presence of sharks in the waters there has still never been a fatal attack in the area. Here's where the story gets messy:
Authorities at Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province have announced a reward for anybody who catches a large fish, believed to be a shark, that recently attacked people who bathed at the city’s beach.
Authorities decided that their solution to a Rogue shark was to issue a 10 million Dong reward (around US$400) for the fisherman who brings in the dead animal. Really? Are we back in the Jaws days? All they stipulated was that the culprit is of an unknown species with a bite diameter of around 19cm.
Surely this must strike others as less than sensible. With no way to prove that a caught shark is the culprit this will be a continued witch hunt driven by government sponsored financial reward. So far the fishermen have caught various species including Lemon Sharks and a 5m Great White Shark. These animals were deemed to be 'not the culprit' and were sold for fins and meat, after the authorities gave them half the reward for trying.
This kind of logic is absolutely tragic and is what really needs to be addressed when considering international relations and educational strategy.
The Hunt Ends?
Today authorities have announced that the hunt is over and the culprit has been caught. The alleged rogue shark appears to be a 5ft long Lemon Shark which has a similar bite diameter to the victims wounds. While the idea that they successfully caught the 'rouge' shark is dubious at least the Peoples Committee have realized that a bounty will only lead to aggressive fishing activity and targeting an individual non-specific animal is pretty much impossible.
Photos of the shark were sent to Nha Trang Oceanography Institute, where scientists discovered that this species lives in the bottom of warm seas and sometimes swim near shore to seek food or to reproduce. This species of shark is also allowed to be caught.
Bureau Chief Nguyen Huu Hao commented that the jaws of this shark fit the bites left on victims and is the culprit in recent attacks. He added that other sharks are still out there, so the sentry-boxes should be set up early to protect swimmers.
Your comments may be sent to citpabinhdinh@yahoo.com to the attention of the Chairman, Mr. Nguyen Van Thien
Further Reading
Shark hunt yet to locate real culprit
Caught shark not attack sea bathers in Quy Nhon
Vietnamese province puts bounty on “shark” after 10 recent attacks
Vietnamese fisherman hunting “ten million dong shark”
One-tonne shark netted near shark attack beach