A restaurant voluntarily released 21kg of rare snails into the sea.

On the afternoon of May 10, Mr. Dam Hai Van, Head of Nha Trang Bay Management Board, said that a restaurant owner in Tri Nguyen island area had just voluntarily released 21 conchs (also known as queen conchs) into Hon Mun sea area.

The conch that the restaurant raises in cages. Photo: Nha Trang Bay Management Board

These snails weigh about 21kg, each individual is 20 - 30cm in size, and are being raised in cages by the restaurant above. After learning that the snails are a species that is strictly prohibited from exploitation, the restaurant owner voluntarily handed them over to the authorities to release them into the wild.

The triton snail ( scientific name Charonia tritonis) has a cream-colored shell with many brown stripes and prominent spiral lines. It lives on the soft bottom of coral reefs at a depth of 20 - 30m. This species is listed in the Vietnam Red Book, in the category of critically endangered animals, facing extinction in the wild.

Mr. Dam Hai Van added that the conch has an important biological role as it feeds on crown-of-thorns starfish - a species that feeds on coral and seriously threatens the coral reef ecosystem. Protecting this species of conch plays an important role in maintaining ecological balance and preserving coral reefs in Nha Trang Bay.

HIEU GIANG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/mot-nha-hang-tu-nguyen-tha-21kg-oc-quy-hiem-ve-bien-post794653.html