Fishermen rescue 30-ft whale shark from net
The shark weighed around 900kg and was 30feet long.it was dragging the fishing net laid to catch fish and was a rare sighting. HITENDRA MEHER , fisherman
PALGHAR: Local fishermen safely released an endangered 30-feet long dotted whale shark,which got caught in their net during fishing, 12 nautical miles (1 nautical mile = 1.8 km) off Vadrai coast in Palghar early on Tuesday. The whale shark the largest fish in the ocean.
Hitendra Meher, who owns the boat, was at sea along with his employees around 4am on Tuesday when they felt “huge jerks” in the fishing nets they had to catch fish. Upon inspection, the found a whale shark had got entangled in the nets. “The 30-feet shark weighed around 900kg and was dragging the fishing net laid to catch fish. We were shocked as it was a rare sighting,” said Meher.
“My men worked carefully to disentangle the nets and after an hour of so of struggle, the shark wriggled free and returned to its natural habitat,” said Meher.
Professor Bhushan Bhoir,who teaches zoology at Palghar’s Dandekar College, said whale sharks are among the most docile of fishes.
“They are not predators and do not pose threat to humans.they eat only small fish and plankton, which are diverse collection of organisms that live in oceans and seas, and are unable to swim against currents,” he said.
Due to climate change, their population faces a huge threat as poachers kill the whale shark for its meat, fin and oil, said Bhoir.
The local Koli community of Palghar reveres the whale shark and its sighting is considered auspicious,said Meher.
“If the whale shark is spotted at sea, we believe that a good fishing season is in the offing and we have instructed our fellow fishermen not to kill or catch the shark. And if it is trapped in the nets, it has to be released back to the Arabian Sea,” said Meher.