A sea lion, which weighs more than 20 kg and is 90 cm long, was caught by a fisherman in Mui Doc sea area off central Ha Tinh province’s coast on August 8.

Fisherman Nguyen Van Dien, from Quang Trach district of central Quang Binh province, said he found the sea lion sunbathing on a rock when he was returning home from his offshore fishing trip.

The sea lion can eat up to 3 kg of fresh fish per day and is now in good health, said Dien.

Le Minh Tuan, an official of the Quang Binh Marine Resources Exploitation and Protection Department, said Vietnam does not have this species of sea lion which usually lives in temperate zones. The animal is likely to be swept by sea currents into Vietnam’s sea, Tuan added.

The sea lion is listed an endangered species and protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)./.