"Hindus perform a ritual sacrifice for good health and safety on the south coast of Java, Indonesia", says the official caption on this from the WaPo Day in Pics.
I don't know how common this sort of practice is, and can't get any idea from Wikipedia on it. I would have to just say it's terribly sad and ridiculous, if not outright repulsive. In a culture where scarcity is not uncommon, why just drop a beast into the sea when it could provide several hundred meals? How can such a practice survive when it is clearly superstition - and worse than ineffective?