Early yesterday morning, a Da Nang fisherman brought ashore a seal he had caught off the coast near Thanh Khe. Claiming the seal had torn his net and eaten his catch for the day, the man initially refused to release the seal and tried to demand compensation.
On hearing about the case, ENV swiftly encouraged the Da Nang fisheries department and the Commune People’s Committee to issue a warning to the fisherman and remind him of the possible penalties of refusing to release the seal. Thankfully, the authorities applied pressure quickly and the seal was released back into the ocean by 10 o’clock the same morning.
This case reminds us how crucial it is that fishermen and others in the industry are kept aware of the need to protect seals and never detain or harm them – and that they will be punished if they do not adhere to the law.
(The inset photo shows the caged seal before it was returned to the ocean yesterday.)
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