Call to protect endangered whale sharks

The endangered whale sharks, after traveling several thousand miles, are killed in a barbaric manner on the coasts of Gujarat.

Largest living fish in the world, the whale sharks have been noticed arriving at the Gujarat coast for over a century now. This is a fact not known to most Indians, not even to the people of Gujarat.

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Whale sharks are reported to visit the shores of Gujarat between November and April each year along with large schools of sardine, tuna, mackerel and others. But though the presence of this rare and elusive creature should be a matter of great pride and joy for the locals, the almost complete lack of awareness about the fish has never made that possible.

Ironical as it might be, these sharks, after traveling several thousand miles, are actually killed in a barbaric manner on these very coasts. Fishermen get them ashore, with their mouths tied and their bodies chopped, and leave them to a slow, painful death.

The fish is slaughtered for its meat that is exported to South East Asian countries where it is savoured as a great delicacy in swanky restaurants. Besides food, the other reasons for which the whale shark is hunted are liver oil extraction, pharmaceutical purposes, leather industry and ornamental uses.