Rare Fish: Whale shark entangled in net dies

KARACHI: A 14-feet long whale shark entangled in fishing net near Pasni, Balochistan, died. The fish was taken to the nearby harbour and according to locals it was cut into pieces. Scores of local people rushed to the harbour to witness the beautiful fish. The marine experts have appealed fishermen not to kill these harmless sharks found in Pakistani waters. “There is no demand of whale shark in Pakistani market…It is better to release them back to waters if are caught,” said Muhammad Moazzam Khan, the marine fisheries technical advisor for theWWF-Pakistan. According to Moazzam, total 28 whale sharks have been released in last two years by fishermen at different locations. “The trained fishermen don’t harm them,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2016.