Local fishermen rescued a shark entangled in a net on Tantadi beach in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam.
The District Forest Officer (DFO), Anant Shankar, said the shark was later guided back to sea.
"It is a whale shark, the world's largest fish. These are endangered," he stated.
"The instructions from the DFO were simple- guide the whale shark to safety, sparing no efforts or expenses. What ensued were herculean efforts, both physical and mental, with tremendous coordination and collaboration by the forest department, fishermen, and wildlife conservationists, to guide this 2-tonne fish back into the ocean alive. And it was a success. The whale shark successfully swam back into the depths of the ocean," he further stated.
"The shark's pictures are now being shared with the Maldives Whale shark research programme for identification. This would help us to understand the movements and territories of these gentle giants better," he told news agency ANI.
"The fishermen are being advised and requested to approach the forest department for rescue and safe release directly in such an eventuality, as in such operations, time is of the essence. The fishermen will be given compensation in case of any damages to their fishing nets for release of Whale sharks in case the whale sharks get entangled in their fishing nets," he added.
Saving the 'gentle giant'
Earlier in March this year, fishermen in Odisha rescued a whale shark twice.
The Odisha coast is very important for marine megafaunas like turtles, whales, and sharks. The dotted whale shark is the largest fish in the ocean and is often called the ‘Gentle Giant’ in fishing parlance.
Whale sharks are a protected species under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and also part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.
The whale shark is a ‘filter feeder shark’ which means it does not eat meat like other sharks. Whale sharks filter seawater and feed on tiny planktons.
The largest whale shark aggregation in India is along with the Gujarat coats. On the Bay of Bengal coast, the only whale shark aggregation is in Andhra Pradesh.
Accidental entanglement in fishing nets is a major threat to this animal. Whale sharks have no commercial importance. However, fishers illegally extract their fins and livers.
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