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A fishing frenzy broke out in Tai Po on Thursday after a swarm of red stingrays—commonly known locally as devilfish—was spotted in the Lam Tsuen River.
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Word spread rapidly on social media throughout the afternoon, drawing curious crowds to Kwong Fuk Bridge to catch a glimpse of the marine creatures.
Footage circulating online showed at least five stingrays swimming in the river, with onlookers reporting that one man using nets and fishing rods caught three within minutes.
Another video captured a man in a small boat netting a haul of at least nine stingrays of varying sizes.
Some anglers were reportedly seen cutting off the venomous barbs on the tails of captured stingrays before placing them into bicycle baskets to take home.
In an interview, Chong Dee-hwa, chairman of the Ichthyological Society of Hong Kong, identified the species as Hemitrygon akajei (red stingray), commonly referred to in Chinese as devilfish, noting that they have long inhabited local riverbeds and coastal waters.
Chong attributed the sudden surge to the recent end of the South China Sea fishing moratorium and recent heavy rains, which increased river discharge and prompted the fish to swim upriver to forage.
While Chong encouraged residents to observe the animals to learn more about local biodiversity, he strongly advised the public against catching or feeding them.
The incident sparked widespread discussion online, with many netizens noting that stingray meat has a strong ammonia smell and urging people to protect the marine animals and let them return to the harbor safely.
"I don't get what's so tasty about them. Why do these uncles catch them every year?" one online user wrote.
The appearance of stingrays in the river is not unprecedented. Similar sightings occurred in the Lam Tsuen River ahead of Super Typhoon Saola in September 2023 and Severe Tropical Storm Trami in October 2024, prompting some locals to joke that the river acts as a "typhoon shelter" for the species.
