The rare green sea turtle is released back into the ocean in central Nghệ An Province after it was trapped in a local fisherman's net. Photo dantri.com.vn

NGHỆ AN — A fisherman in central Nghệ An Province has released a rare turtle back into the ocean despite being offered a large sum of money to sell the animal.

On Friday, Trần Văn Trung, in Cửa Lò Town’s Nghi Hải Ward found a turtle trapped in his net.

The green sea turtle weighed about seven kilogrammes with a length of 50 centimetres and a width of 35 centimetres. 

Trung said many dealers came to try and buy the turtle, with some offering up to VNĐ250 million (US$10,750). 

The identity of the dealers and their motives remain unknown.

He was helped by local authorities to release the animal back into the ocean in the next day.

In Việt Nam, green sea turtles, together with three other species, are critically threatened due to illegal hunting for food and handicrafts like jewellery, which is made of their shells.

Statistics from the Education for Nature – Vietnam showed that on average, about 150,000 young green turtles return to the ocean each year but the number of mature turtles of the species is estimated at just 150 annually.

A study conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature said only 10 green sea turtles give birth on beaches in northern Quảng Ninh and central Quảng Bình provinces annually.

This species has not appeared in Sơn Trà Peninsula in Đà Nẵng City since 2015. — VNS