An Yilan fisherman who caught a Rumphius’ slit shell, a rare deep-water sea snail, released it back into the wild Tuesday, in accordance with the wishes of a man who purchased it for NT$120,000 (US$3,748).
After finding the conical, 20-by-15-centimeter mollusk while bottom trawl fishing near Guishan Island on Saturday, Lin Tien-ming (林天明), a resident of Daxi Village in Toucheng Township, put it up for sale online.
As news of the catch spread, the National Taiwan Museum said in a social media post Sunday that such rare sea snails should be "returned to nature" if caught, and should not be treated as collector’s items.
Photo curtesy of Lin Tien-ming (林天明)
Lin, however, rejected the suggestion, citing the shell’s market value and the cost of gasoline used on a 6-to-7-hour trip to sea.
"If I caught a green sea turtle or another protected species, I would let it go. But a Rumphius’ slit shell is not a protected species, and so there’s no way," he told CNA on Monday.
As he waited for offers, Lin said he and his wife had stayed up all night monitoring the sea snail, making frequent trips to the convenience store for ice to keep its water temperature at the recommended 16-17 degrees Celsius.
Over the course of two days, Lin said he received offers for NT$60,000, NT$80,000, NT$100,000, NT$116,000, NT$120,000 and NT$160,000.
In the end, he said, he decided to sell it for NT$120,000 to a Taipei resident surnamed Liu (劉), who offered to buy it on condition that it be released back into the wild.
To fulfill the terms of the deal, Lin set out from Daxi Fishing Harbor at 2:10 a.m. Tuesday. At around 4 a.m., he used his phone to record as a boat hand removed the sea snail from a bucket, displayed it for the camera and released it into the sea near Guishan Island.
The Rumpius’ slit shell is the largest species in the family of slit snails (Pleurotomariidae), which are named for the distinctive long slit running halfway along their shells.
The species is found in waters between Japan and the Philippines at a depth of 100-400 meters. Their shells are sought after by collectors due to their rareness, size and beauty.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
RSS