Couple getting divorced asks judge to divvy up fish in family pond

This is a rare case because aside from battling for child custody, the couple also requested the court allow them to catch all the fish in their pond and split the fish agreed between them, local newspaper Tien Phong quoted judge Nguyen Khac Hoan as saying.

In early 2022, the court received a divorce settlement request from P.T.A and her husband N.X.D.

The wife asked for custody of their child and a division of their joint assets that they had after many years of marriage. In addition, she also asked the court to divide their property and a plot of land that they use for aquaculture, including the fish in their pond.

At the settlement session, the two couldn’t find a common ground, as they both had their personal opinion, especially when it came to divide their assets. The couple asked the court to catch all the fish raised in the pond and to divide them fairly.

However, judge Hoan said the division of the fish is only relative, and so it’s very difficult to implement the request of the couple. There are many kinds of fish in the lake like tilapia and carp and each of them has a different value.

According to the judge, if the settlement is not successful, then they must catch all the fish to determine their value then divide them. Hoan decided to visit the pond himself to ensure the exact evaluation.

“A think there are about two tons of fish in the pond. The price of fish that she is estimated is VND70,000 ($2.95) a kilogram. But in fact, it’s very difficult to count all the fish in the pond and to know exactly their total weight as well as the kind of fish there,” Hoan said.

The judge also explained to the two that catching all the fish in the pond can be risky, and that the cost of fishermen could be huge. He said, to divide the fish, a price appraisal council with qualified people must be established.

After the judge’s analysis, at the final settlement before going to court, the two sides reached an agreement on the number of fish in the pond, as well as the value, and came to a solution. The parties agreed that there is a ton of fish in the pond worth VND30,000 a kilogram. The total amount will be divided equally between the two.