Two whale sharks, each weighing roughly 1,500 kg, were caught by fishermen in the coastal hamlet of Gilakaladindi, Machilipatnam mandal, Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh. A crane was used to help bring the enormous whale to the shore of Gilakaladindi harbour, where it drew a lot of interest from locals eager to see them.
Whale sharks are known locally as Chukka Sora fishes. According to reports, they were caught in the net of a local fisherman named Viswanathapalli Veera Babu. The fisherman pulled them out with the help of a JCB loader.
VIDEO | Massive Whale Shark Accidentally Caught by Fishermen Near Machilipatnam in AP.The enormous fish, an endangered species known as Rhincodon typus, became entangled in a large fishing net, leaving the fishermen with no option but to bring it ashore. #AndhraPradesh #Shark… pic.twitter.com/JEcQqg92MM
— Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) July 29, 2024
According to Viswanathapalli Veera Babu, two enormous fish were caught by him and his team on Friday, July 26, one of which was dead. They found the fish were of the Chukka Sora breed, which has no market value. As a result, the live fish was returned to the ocean, according to The New Indian Express.
Viswanathapalli Veera Babu added that under low-pressure conditions in the Bay of Bengal, the sea gets choppy, allowing enormous fish to unwittingly approach the coast and become entangled in the fishermen’s nets. He said that if they had been teak fish, which are extremely uncommon and have an estimated market worth of between Rs 1 and Rs 2 lakh per tonne, the story would have been different. He also denounced the misleading accusations that the fish caught were teak fish purchased by Chennai traders.
Meanwhile, Vivek Rathod, a conservationist and the founder of Wildlife Conservation Through Research and Education (WCTRE) in Visakhapatnam confirmed the gigantic fish caught by the Gilakaladindi fisherman were Whale Sharks. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has designated them endangered.
Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus): All About It
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is listed as an endangered species. This gentle giant is the ocean’s largest fish, notable for its massive size and leisurely movement.
Despite its size, the whale shark is recognised for its gentle demeanour towards humans. It mostly feeds on plankton and tiny fish utilising its filter-feeding method. Because of their rarity and threat of extinction, every encounter with these species is important for marine conservation efforts.
Comments
0 comment