PHU YEN - A fisherman in central coastal Phu Yen Province yesterday found a shark suspected of biting people on a beach in another province, but authorities said the fish was not the one that had bitten many tourists recently.

The city leaders had promised a generous reward to anyone who could catch the suspected fish.

According to Nguyen Trong, 60, and his two sons, the fish was 5m long and weak from sickness. It drifted onto a beach at Song Cau Township.

Many curious people and scientists came to see the shark.

The fisherman's family wanted to sell the fish for VND50 million, and one person offered VND30 million to buy the shark's fin.

Scientists from Nha Trang's Oceanographic Institute encouraged the family to donate the shark to the institute's museum for scientific research.

Authorities from the neighbouring province of Binh Dinh, where tourists were bitten while swimming on Quy Nhon beach, were called to examine the fish.

Phan Trong Ho, deputy head of Binh Dinh Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that after examining the shark's weight, behavior and the bite on the victims, the department affirmed that it was not the fish that had bitten many tourists.

This article was first published in Vietnam News/Asia News Network.