stephen then The Star 22 Mar 19;
MIRI: Giant stingrays are being blatantly caught offshore northern Sarawak by local fishermen, and nature lovers are questioning whether there is a need to catch and kill these gentle giants of the ocean.
On Friday (March 22) morning, a local fishermen in Sibuti district, 60km south of Miri, publicly boasted about catching a stingray weighing 150kg in the South China Sea off the coast here.
He posted pictures of himself hauling up a huge stingray, measuring the height of an adult man.
Last week, another Sibuti fishermen boasted about his success in netting a 250kg stingray, also in the South China Sea off the coast here.
These fishermen posted pictures of themselves, even on social media.
Nature lovers are questioning the need to kill these harmless animals.
"Are there no more fish around to eat that these fishermen have to catch these gentle giants of the ocean?
"Why are the Sarawak authorities not putting a stop to these needless slaughter?" asked expatriate housewife Jessica Maria on Friday.
There are also those who have posted comments to the Malaysian Nature Society Miri social media sites, criticising the killing of these creatures.
"These giant stingrays are harmless creatures.
"They are not even fit for food for humans, as their flesh is tough and rough.
"Why catch and kill these precious creatures?" asked Ian K.
The Star has checked with Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) communications executive Susan Yek on whether stingrays are a protected species, and she said they are not on the list of protected creatures.
Two weeks ago, a giant whaleshark was also caught by fishermen offshore Miri.
The 1.5-tonne creature measured about six metres long.
It was already dead when the fishermen hauled it onto the jetty along the Miri River.
The fishermen told SFC that the whaleshark was caught by accident, as it had gotten entangled in their fishing nets.
Giant stingray, weighing 150kg, caught in Kuala Sibuti
andy chua The Star 22 Mar 19;
SIBU: A fisherman has caught a giant 150kg stingray in Kuala Sibuti, about five hours drive from here.
The lucky fisherman, Wan Mazlan Ramlee, who caught the fish on Thursday (March 21), said the prized catch was found entangled in his fishing net which he had set up two hours earlier.
"I had set up the fishing net at about 8am. When I came back two hours later, I first thought it was a timber log entangled in the net. But, I was shocked to see that it was a huge stingray," he said.
Due to the weight of the fish and with the help from another fishermen, he slowly hauled it into his fishing boat.
Mazlan arrived at a nearby jetty only in the afternoon with the big catch. A huge crowd of people then crowded the jetty to have a look at the fish.
"I have sold the fish to a buyer in Bekenu bazaar," he said, without revealing how much he had sold it.
Last Sunday (March 17), another fisherman from the same village, Ramlee Jinal, had also landed a bigger stingray, weighing 250kg in Kuala Niah
