Trapped whale shark hacked to bits, sold for profit

MUMBAI, March 16: The whale shark trapped by fishermen in their nets on Monday was today ruthlessly hacked to pieces at the Macchimar Nag...

MUMBAI, March 16: The whale shark trapped by fishermen in their nets on Monday was today ruthlessly hacked to pieces at the Macchimar Nagar, Cuffe Parade. A big crowd thronged the beach on the second consecutive day today to look at the gentle giant from the deep tropical waters who died after a painful eight-hour struggle yesterday. Police had a tough time controlling the wide-eyed onlookers, and the onrush of people created a temporary traffic jam at the junction opposite Badhwar colony.

People seemed fascinated as the seven fins of the whale were hacked with a butcher knife and its liver gorged out. 8220;The liver is valued because of its oil content and can be sold for Rs 5,000,8221; estimated an official of the Fishery Survey of India FSI, who had come with his colleagues to measure the dimensions of the fish.

He said the 28.5-feet-long fish could easily fetch around Rs 20,000. Another senior fisheries scientist G V Avhad said: 8220;If only these fishermen had signalled us or the Coast Guards about thegiant whale shark entangled in their nets, we would have tried our best to free the beautiful fish.8221; Avhad said whale sharks normally do not venture into shallow waters. 8220;It is a cruel irony that a gentle giant like a whale shark which has never hurt a soul all its life had to meet this kind of fate at the hands of man. The fish could have come so near to the shore either in search of food plankton or due to disturbances in the marine environment,8221; he noted, adding, 8220;By the end of the day not even the fish cartilage will be seen on the beach, as the fishermen will even try to sell its flesh in the market as shark meat.8221;

A marine biologist from the Bombay Natural History Society BNHS said the wounds inflicted on the fish near its gills and mouth had destroyed its chances for survival yesterday. 8220;Even when the whale shark was gasping for water on the shore yesterday, no oncould can kill a man. One only wishes that such incidents don8217;t happen again,8221; he said. However, the fisherman PandurangTandel, who had caught the fish on Monday said: 8220;There are not many takers for the fish, and I8217;m trying to recover whatever losses I have suffered for catching it and ruining the nets.8221; He added it had been difficult to let go of the fish as it was flapping violently in the nets.