Whale shark meat recovered

The whale shark was washed ashore near Kovalam off East Coast Road on Monday 

 THE REMAINS: Bones and skin of the whale shark which were seized, being displayed at the Wildlife Headquarters office at Velachery on Wednesday. — Photo: V. Ganesan

CHENNAI: Wildlife officials have seized 350 kg of whale shark meat and bone from the Kasimedu fish market on Tuesday.

According to K.S.S.V.P. Reddy, Wildlife Warden, Greater Chennai, a whale shark was washed ashore near Kovalam off East Coast Road on Monday. A team of officials led by K.S. Sathyamoorthy, Wildlife Headquarters Range Officer, visited the spot on Tuesday and were told by the residents that the dead shark was cut into pieces by some fishermen from the same area, who took it to the fish market at Kasimedu.
 

The team rushed to Kasimedu and seized the meat and bones, which was packed in 16 bags.

 

Protected species
As fish species had been brought under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act since 2001, poaching whale shark or removing the carcass would attract punishment under Wildlife Protection Act, Mr. Reddy said.

 The Wildlife authorities are on the lookout for two fishermen who took the meat and bone to the fish market.

 

1996 incident recalled

 Officials recall that during March 1996, a whale was washed ashore near Tiruvottiyur.

The whale strayed close inshore and it died after fishermen tried to move it towards the sea.

The whale carcass, which attracted curious onlookers to the beach, disappeared overnight. Some locals had claimed that the carcass was taken away in a government vehicle, which the State Fisheries department and Museum authorities denied.

Later it was known that the body was cut into pieces and taken away by fishermen.

 
A portion of the whale's skin was found stuck to the groynes laid on the shore as an anti-erosion measure.

http://www.hindu.com/2005/07/21/stories/2005072113110300.htm

Gujarat plans survey on whale sharks visiting Saurashtra coast

Gandhinagar , Jan. 17

 

WHALE sharks, a species that has recently been added to the endangered list, are known to visit the Saurashtra coast in Gujarat between March and May.

 

In an effort to map their movements along the Gujarat coast and determine their numbers, the State Wildlife Department has decided to launch a survey to study the giant creatures.

 

"Very little is known about these creatures except that they have been sighted along the Saurashtra coast after winters. Even internationally, very little is known about the whale shark's migration patterns. We plan to study why these gentle giants visit our coast and in what numbers," according to Mr Pradeep Khanna, a top forests and wildlife officer in the Gujarat Government. The survey would be carried out with the help of forest department officials and other agencies, Mr Khanna told Business Line.

 

Historically, whale sharks had been slaughtered by fishermen when they visited the Gujarat coast. Unofficial estimates by wildlife experts put the figure of nearly 500 whale sharks killed in Gujarat each year. But ever since the gentle shark species was included in the endangered list in 2001 and an awareness programme launched by the Wildlife Trust of India, the number of animals killed has declined considerably.

 

In fact, fishermen off the Dwarka coast released a whale shark after it got entangled in their nets last year. The towns of Diu, Porbandar, Dwarka and Okha have adopted the whale shark as their mascot.

 

A street play that depicts the whale shark as a "daughter returning to her father's home for a safe delivery of a child" has been trying to increase awareness about the creature, says Mr Dhiresh Joshi, Manager, Whale Shark campaign of the Wildlife Trust of India.

 

"Awareness about whale sharks is rather poor. We are not even sure as to why they visit the Gujarat coast from March to May. It is believed that they come here for mating, but there is very little scientific data to substantiate that," says Mr Joshi.

 

Whale sharks can grow up to 50 feet in length and are the largest shark species in the world. The species feeds on plankton and smaller fish and is not known to attack humans.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/01/18/stories/2005011801751700.htm

 

Whale shark entangled in nets, dragged ashore

CHENNAI, OCT. 14. A whale shark entangled in fishing nets died after it was dragged ashore off Tiruvanmiyur beach here this morning.

 

The dead male shark (biological name Rhincodon typus ) was 4.5 metres long and weighed about a tonne. "It is a unique species. Unlike other sharks, they are not hunters. They do not attack other animals or human beings," according to K. Venkataraman, Member Secretary, National Bio-Diversity Authority, who inspected the carcass.

 

Chennai Wildlife Warden K.S.S.V.P. Reddy said local fishermen wanted to chop the carcass and sell its fins, liver and other organs for money. However, the Wildlife authorities warned them against it. They also told them not to drag whale sharks to the shore even if they were entangled in their nets. The carcass was buried in a 10-foot deep pit using a crane.

 

Black in colour at the dorsal region, the fish had white spots and stripes all over its body. While feeding, the tail fin juts out of the water. Using its three-foot wide mouth, the fish collects its feed, planktons, and releases water the gills, which are used for breathing. They are not air breathers.

 

In 2001, whale sharks were brought under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. They are mostly found in the west coast and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is the dream of every deep sea diver to see a whale shark, says Dr. Venkataraman, who is also a master scuba diver.

 

No studies have been taken up so far on their habitat, reproduction habits, parental care and population size, as they are rare species. Except gut content studies, no information is available about this world's largest marine fish. Their population in the wild is steadily declining due to illegal hunting and their low reproduction rate. Disappearance of this species will affect the marine eco-system and result in the breaking of the food chain, zoologists and marine biologists say.

 

http://www.hindu.com/2004/10/15/stories/2004101513940800.htm

 

Whale sharks to get protection

PRESLEY THOMAS

 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2004 12:32:39 AM ]

 

VADODARA: The state forest department seems to have finally woken up to protect whale sharks, the largest fish in the world, being poached in large numbers along Gujarat 's coastline.

 

It has tied up with the Indian Coast Guards to assist it in protecting the fish. The step has been taken after increasing reports of whale sharks being poached by local fisherman for markets in Taiwan and other South East Asian countries.

 

The deputy inspectorgeneral of Coast Guards, S P S Basra, told TNN, "We are well-versed with the conditions in which the whale sharks drift in occasionally as we patrol Gujarat 's international border along the coastline. The department had approached us for assisting them and we have agreed to support them. We will be providing them with information on the number of whale sharks spotted along our coastline and would ensure they are not poached by the local fishermen."

 

Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Pradeep Khanna said, "We are in touch with the Coast Guards and are working out the modalities to protect this endangered species. The last known incident of a whale shark being poached was in Mandvi about an year ago. All of them have been booked and a case registered against them."

 

According to sources in the forest department, poaching whale sharks has increased in the past decade, as it means quick money. A full-grown whale shark, which can measure about 14 metres and weigh nearly eight to 10 tonnes, can fetch them at least Rs 1.5 lakh.

 

The liver constitutes about 10 per cent of the body weight of the whale shark, say experts. It contains 60 to 70 per cent oil; about 600 to 700 litres of oil can be extracted from the liver of a 12-metre shark; and The cost of the liver and liver oil is Rs 25 and Rs 30 per kg respectively. The oil acts as crude preservative and is used for coating the wooden hull of boats. A set of fins costs would earn nearly Rs 20,000, sources added.

 

A senior forest official said, "While visual tagging and photo identification are being carried out in KwaZulu Natal ( South Africa ), southern Mozambique , Seychelles , Australia , Belize , Honduras , Mexico and Philippines , a small measure to protect this endangered species has been taken by us. We would adopt these techniques at a later stage."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/453758.cms

Whale shark washes ashore at Orissa coast

A whale shark washed ashore at Orissa coast on 27th March. The 1.5 tonne 12 foot long specimen was found at Devi river mouth on Sunday. The previous day, it was first found in an injured state here and forest officials managed to push it back to the sea.  However, the next day it was found washed ashore with its tail and fins snipped off.  It is suspected that fishermen had cut them to sell in the market.The cause of the death is yet to be ascertained by the forest officials.  Whale sharks are not common on the Orissa coast and  so far there have been very few records of sightings and strandings.  Biswajit Mohanty, Wildlife Society of Orissa biswajit Mohanty <bmwildlife@HOTMAIL.COM> Dated : 31st March,2005   

Scared villagers kill rare whale shark

  TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 09, 2003 10:20:00 PM ]  KOLKATA: The coastal town of Digha in West Bengal had a surprise visitor on Tuesday - an adolescent whale shark all of 22 feet in length.    However, the scared fishermen who suddenly found the large fish entangled in their net, brutally killed it, first chopping off its fin and then dragging it along the shallow coast near the beach as it tried to fight its way out. The whale shark is incidentally the largest fish in the world measuring upto 45 feet in length.    Found usually off the Florida coast in the Atlantic, it is also seen in the warmer regions of the world around the equator. However, the West Bengal coast has seldom seen any shark, let alone the Whale Shark.    "The Bay of Bengal is known to be a home of hammerhead sharks. But I can't recall a Whale Shark ever," said Raja Chatterjee of the NGO Junglee. Members of the NGO rushed to the coastal tourist report as news of the shark's capture spread.    "It was a bad sight. The scared fishermen had chopped off parts of the fish. Yet it was an almost perfect specimen of the species. We have taken photographs and sent off copies to the Zoological Survey of India," Chatterjee said.    Chatterjee said the whale shark has a huge mouth which can be up to 4 feet wide. It has a wide, flat head, a rounded snout, small eyes, 5 very large gill slits, 2 dorsal fins on its back and 2 pectoral fins on its sides.    It has distinctive light-yellow markings on its very thick dark gray skin. Its skin is up to 4 inches thick. Measured upto 46 feet, it weights up to 15 tons. The average size is 25 feet. Females are larger than males like most sharks.    "Whale sharks have about 3,000 very tiny teeth but they are of little use. As it swims with its mouth open, it sucks masses of water filled with prey into its mouth and through spongy tissue between its 5 large gill arches. It can process over 1500 gallons (6000 liters) of water each hour," he said.    When contacted, zoologist S.K. Kundu said "Whale sharks live in warm water near the equator both along the coast and in the open seas. They spend most of their time near the surface. They are harmless to people and usually indifferent to divers. However, they have long lives and it's estimated that whale sharks may live up to 100 - 150 years".  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=4289  

`Gentle giant' falls in fishermen's net

 

The whale-shark that was caught by local fishermen in Visakhapatnam on Monday and was sold to a local exporter. A giant whale-shark, belonging to a highly endangered species, fell in the dragnet of the fishermen of Vizag on Monday morning to meet its end. The rare marine species was a young male, over 15 feet long. A fully-grown whale-shark normally would be as long as 60 feet, making it the largest marine species. N.A. Varaprasada Reddy, marine biologist and Deputy Director of Andhra University's Academic Staff College said: "They call it as the `Gentle Giant of Sea.' It is absolutely harmless, has no teeth and preys on small prawns. The seasonal cold water current from Andaman Islands in April might have carried it to Visakhapatnam and the fishermen unwittingly trapped it,'' he said. The city fishermen use the shore seine, a huge dragnet attached to a three-kilometre long rope to catch species like the small stolephorus fish. A few members among a large group of about 30 go in a small boat into the waters and spread the net while the others pull it from the shore. On Monday, G. Simhachalam and company, who had laid the trap at a distance of a couple of kilometres away, found something big in the net and hauled it to the shore. The innocent male member of the docile, egg-laying fish, which normally travels on surface, fell on its back in the trap and died on the shore. Local fishermen normally don't catch whales. Even if they do, they let them off, like they reportedly did last month. With the whale-shark falling on the shore, they sold it to a seafood company following which the personnel of the company descended on the scene and got to work digging out the meat. "Because we don't eat the meat, we sold it for a couple of thousands of rupees. Normally, such fish are sold for a couple of lakhs. It is a sort of a mistaken identity that we felled it,'' said one of the fishermen in the group. "Next time we spot a gentle giant, we will ensure that it is given safe passage.'' By Prabhakara Sarma B in Visakhapatnam Photo: K.R.Deepak © Copyright 2000 - 2004 The Hindu

Date:27/04/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/lf/2004/04/27/stories/2004042703150200.htm

Now, Morari Bapu turns saviour for whale sharks

 

Swapna Nair

Ahmedabad, January 20: IN a bid to protect and create awareness about the thousands of Whale Sharks visiting the Gujarat coast from March to May every year, the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) launched a ‘Save the Whale Shark’ campaign on Tuesday at a press meet.

 

Morari Bapu has been chosen as the ambassador of the cause. Announcing this, the Chief Wildlife Warden of Gujarat, Pradeep Khanna, said, ‘‘We think that these creatures can be protected only if people feel from within and so we chose a man of Morari Bapu’s stature as the ambassador. I am sure he can make a difference through his discourses,’’ Khanna added.

 

‘This is the first time that a religious leader, a NGO, the forest department and corporate groups like Tata Chemicals Limited and Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Limited have come forward for a cause,’’ said Aniruddha Mukherjee, director of programmes, WTI. ‘‘Not much research has been done on the migration patterns of these sharks and the preliminary reports of TNS Mode research says that only 2% of their respondents were aware of them,’’ he added.

 

The Whale Shark, the world’s largest fish (60 feet in length and weighing 8-10 tons), is found in the tropical waters of Mexico, Honduras, Africa, Australia and Philippines apart from India (Saurashtra coastline) which it visits in large numbers (1200-2000) to breed during summers. The trading of Whale Shark was banned by the Government in May 2001 by including it in the category of endangered fish in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act. ‘‘However, about 150 of them are annually killed by the local fishermen for extracting oil to make their boats waterproof and the flesh is exported to countries like Korea and Japan,’’Khanna said.

 

‘‘They are human friendly fishes and a pride of Gujarat since they pay the largest congregation visit to the state every year. Therefore, they are as important as the Asiatic Lion and if protected it can give a boost to the state tourism industry,’’ he added. ‘‘Activities like nature education camps, poster camps and school-level painting competitions will be conducted, sign boards will be put up and some coast guard officers will be recognised as wardens to promote the cause,’’ Khanna informed.

 

‘‘We are glad to be a part of this movement and are committed to working with WTI to ensure a safe haven for the Whale Sharks,’’ said Raju Thakur, PRO, GHEL. ‘‘In our country, we believe in Athithi Devo Bhava and Ahimsa Paramodharma. Hence, it is our duty to protect these creatures who come from far off lands to visit us. Moreover, they come to breed here. In our country, parents take care of their pregnant daughters. Similarly, the Shark Whales are like our chldren who come to us and it is our responsibility to take care of them,’’ Morari Bapu said.

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=73890

Off the hook?

GENTLE giant of the sea, the whale shark, has finally been included in
Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act. The largest living fish,
varying in size from 8 to 12m, it is also the first fish to get
protection under the act. But there are so many wild species under the
protective umbrella of various legislation, that the question one needs
to ask is how will the Government ensure that the wanton killing of the
whale shark ends with its listing? Equally important, ways and means
have to be found to rehabilitate fishermen living around Veraval in
Gujarat who have thrived on catching the whale fish.

While giving full marks to the Environment and Forest Ministry for the
move, pressure has to be maintained to ensure that protection is not
limited to what is said on a scrap of paper. We have tigers, lion and
bears on the protected list, but look at what is happening to them.

Additional IG-Wildlife in the Environment and Forest Ministry, Mr. S. C.
Sharma, however, is hopeful that the slaughter will be contained. He is
planning a meeting at Veraval with the Coast Guard and officials. The
Director-General, Foreign Trade, has also been asked to put whale shark
meat on the negative list. In 1997, 120 tons of frozen shark meat were
exported to the United States, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore,
Thailand, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United Kingdom,
Austria, Switzerland and Spain.

Once whale shark meat is on the negative list, exports are expected to
come down. Experience, however, shows that when legal measures are
applied, the killing as well as the export goes underground. This has
happened in the case of snake skin, ivory and umpteen other wildlife
products. However, there is of course the possibility of the whale shark
being passed off as the meat of some other fish.

In fact in April 2000 the Government sought to provide the whale shark
protection under CITES at a meeting in Nairobi. But the lobby of
countries consuming whale shark meat, headed by Japan, was too powerful.
However, well known wildlife enthusiast Mr. Ranjitsinh, is hopeful.

Is it possible to rehabilitate the large number of fisherfolk of the
region as promoters of eco-tourism? The idea has immense possibilities
but Veraval and the surrounding coastline where a large number of these
giant fish can be sighted will have to be turned into a marine park or
sanctuary. So people coming to Gujarat to see the Gir lions can also
include in their travel plans a visit to the home of the whale fish.

In fact as a species of fish, the whale shark comes under the purview of
the Food Processing Ministry. But after the killing of some 700 whale
sharks last year, the ministry felt compelled to offer protection, says
Mr. Sharma. But championing the cause of this endangered giant fish have
been film maker Mike Pandey and Fahmeeda Hanfee, who did an excellent
report for the World Wide Fund for Nature on trade in whale shark off
the coast of Gujarat. For three years Pandey tracked the giants, off the
coast of Gujarat, and produced a wonderful film "Shores of Silence" -
Whale sharks in India" that won him the Green Oscar last year.

This January, Fahmeeda's report was published and the details of
slaughter and the export figures were alarming. It was from 1996- 1997
that the first survey was carried out by TRAFFIC-India (Trade Record
Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce) along the coast - West Bengal,
Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra and Gujarat. It
revealed the large scale fishing of whale sharks for their meat, fins,
liver, skin and cartilage.

Just how mammoth a task is confronting the agencies protecting the fish
can be guaged from the report. In 1992, Gujarat had 46 registered
exporters of fish, 1,426 fishing vessels, 41 freezing plants, 43 cold
storage facilities and 16 other cold storage facilities. The State has
1,40,208 fishermen (subsistence and commercial) of whom 52,388 are
full-time. Of the over two lakh fishing vessels, 4,283 are motorised
traditional crafts.

Fahmeeda says sharks grow slowly, mature late, have a small number of
young and live for many years. Shark stocks are vulnerable to over-fishing.

Whale sharks are found largely on the west coast through a few have been
reported east too. Most of the catches occur between March and June
though seasonal occurrences have been reported in other months too. This
piece of information should be useful in alerting the protective
agencies on when they should increase vigilance.

Once a whale shark is sighted, the fishermen shoot a large hook/harpoon
weighing 8 to 10 kg at its mouth. This gets attached to the lip or the
shoulder of the shark, above the gills. Simultaneously another fisherman
inserts a hook attached to a bamboo pole into its pectoral fin. The
normally docile fish becomes agitated and dives, swimming away from the
boat and dragging it along. The engine of the boat is switched off and
the boat is allowed to be towed along for a while. Then the engine is
restarted and runs at full speed. This continuous effort lasts for six
to seven hours till the fish is exhausted and towed to the shore/landing
centre. The fish is cut in large chunks even while afloat. The liver is
removed for oil extraction and consumed locally. The meat is distributed
to agents and middlemen for processing and export.

TRAFFIC India's survey revealed that between 1999-2000, 600 whale sharks
were caught, the smallest catch two metres long and 0.5 tons and the
largest 14.5 metres (12 tons). In December 2000, 145 whale sharks were
caught - such high catches are normally not recorded in winter. The
fishermen told Fehmeeda that they had found a school of about 300 to 500
whale sharks in the area and had headed for it.

Whale shark fishing proved to be a boon to the fishermen of Gujarat from
the late 1980s. Other fish catch off the coast of Saurashtra was
declining and the Philippines, Taiwan, the Maldives and the U.S. had
banned their whale shark fishery, presumably to sustain and conserve
their stocks. Overseas demand for supplies from India shot up and
exporters realised it was good business.

While exporters in India sell fresh, frozen meat at Rs. 40 and Rs. 70 a
kg, in Taiwan it sells for $15 (Rs. 750) per kg. Every part of the whale
shark (from cartilage to leather) fetches a high price. Depending on the
size, a set of four fins alone fetch Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 30,000, depending
on the size.

To break up this well organised fishing industry will indeed be a
challenge.

USHA RAI

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2001/06/24/stories/1324108g.htm

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