Fishing as museum specimens: Unprecedented occupation

At Nha Trang Museum of Oceanography, there are many strange fish exhibits. In order to get these exhibits, the scientists at the Institute had to work together . to fish and stuffed fish! A job has no training school or class.

Stepping up to the first floor of the gallery of the versions of the Museum of Oceanography Institute of Nha Trang, the viewer did not startle. A whale shark with a length of more than 5m seems to be rushing straight at you.

The whole version of stuffed fish displayed at Nha Trang Museum of Oceanography is created by the scientists who study seafood. The Museum of Professional Management - Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography, only 3 - 4 of the 20 staff of the Department can do the job of creating versions by stuffed.

MSc. Bui Quang Nghi, in charge of the Professional Management Department of the Institute of Oceanography, for the past 15 years, has also created 20 samples of fish and other sea creatures to serve for display, from moon fish, flagfish. to the whale shark, bat ray .

From giant fish flesh .

On January 29, 2005, a whale shark was caught over 5m long and weighed about 1 ton in the waters of Phu Quy - Kien Giang at a depth of 200-300m. Shortly thereafter, the ship HD 174 of Kien Giang Fisheries Joint Stock Company transferred the fish to Nha Trang Oceanography Institute.

The Chinese sturgeon, 2m long, weighs 100 kg, was marinated and displayed at the Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography.(Photo: H.Cat)

Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography has rented a crane and a large refrigerated vehicle to bring the fish back to its original state.

Look at the giant whale shark, hardly anyone can think of "embalming" fish to be a museum specimen, but MSc. Bui Quang Nghi and his colleagues spun things with the giant fish for months. Tools only with normal scalpels.

This work depends very much on each person's skills. It is not easy, unscrupulous to ripen the skin, it will tear the fish skin, and it is impossible to create a beautiful stuffed fish.

To remove the whale shark, he divided his team into two groups, one group and one specialized group of four to five people holding and holding the skin flap for easy handling.

"5m whale shark meat and weighs 1 ton of this only takes more than two days. However, if soaked in formol solution, fish meat will harden. So when done incomplete, we have to buy ice to marinate fish. To continue tomorrow, the fish is too big, many people who don't work well will make the fish skin lose their beauty, 'said Mr. Nghi.

To stuffed: 2-3 quintals of cotton in me .

Mr. Bui Quang Nghi on the 5m long shark, weighs 1 ton . (Photo: H.Cat)

Completing the snakehead work, the scientists washed the fish skin with ordinary water. At the same time, where the meat is not able to boil, they inject formol straight into the meat to harden and dry.

The skin is then put in a large tank, soaked in formol for 2-3 months, before being stuffed. Stuffed also takes nearly a week.

Fish skin must always be kept wet to fit in its natural shape and make it easier to sew.

For stuffing this shark will need at least 2-3 quintals of cotton or ground cloth. How far these amateur stuffed houses go, get the sewing fee back there.

"It's not done yet. Sometimes we can't imagine what the fish will look like after stuffing. If we distort, we have to remove it to start over," said Nghi.

Many people think that stuffed is the easiest part. But actually, fish skin soaked in formol solution for a long time, stuffed is not as simple as people think.

"Our hands often come in contact with concentrated formol, the next month, the hands return to normal, dry out and start peeling," said confidant.

He added that the smell of formol goes away hundreds of meters away, making others fear that if he and his colleagues must contact directly with the skin and specimens that have soaked formol.

Before going on display, the stuffed version of the whale shark must be left to dry in a shady area for a whole week to remove formol odors.

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