Stingray weighing hundreds of kilos caught in Bangladesh

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - A gigantic stingray weighing hundreds of kilos was caught in a river in central Bangladesh, according to local sources.

The stingray – a species related to sharks, and known locally as Shaplapata – weighs around 373 kilograms (822 pounds) and has been locally wholesaled for 80,000 Bangladeshi taka ($976).

The stingray was caught in Rajbari, near the capital Dhaka, in the Padma River, one of Bangladesh’s biggest, which starts in the Himalayas and is a main tributary of India’s famed Ganges River.

People flocked from nearby areas to see the stingray, which is occasionally caught by fishing trawlers in the deep sea, not the river.

Local fish trader Rezaul Islam told journalists that almost 15 years ago they found such a large stingray in the river.

“Normally this fish moves through the lowest part of the water and is hardly caught by fishing nets. Maybe it came up due to heavy flow in the river and was captured by the net,” Islam said.

Local fisherman Khir Mohon Bishwash said the rare catch may be as much as 30 to 40 years old.

A Bangladeshi fishing trawler in the southern district of Patuakhali also caught four rare Black Marlins in the country's southern Bay of Bengal on Friday.

This rare fish is normally seen in the Pacific or Indian Ocean, said local fisheries officer Mohammad Emdadullah.