Balasore: A giant stingray weighing about two quintals was caught alive in a fishing net from the sea at Balaramgadi in Odisha’s Balsore district on Tuesday.
Fishermen found the 15 ft long aquatic animal locally called ‘Sankucha’ entangled in their fishing net and brought it to the fishing base.
It was then taken to the godown with help of a trolley. While some media reports said that it was sold at Rs 35,000 to a trader, others mentioned that the rescued animal was later released into the sea.
Many species of stingrays, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks, are endangered. These are common in coastal tropical and subtropical marine waters throughout the world with some even belonging to deep sea.
In December last year, a stingray smaller in size was caught alive in a fishing net from Kandala river near Balikuda under Niali block of Cuttack district. On being informed, forest officials had rushed to the spot and rescued the fish.
