A massive whale shark caught and entangled in a net laid down by the fishermen in deep sea was shifted to the Karachi fish harbour late on Monday night for sale.
In the past, bidding has been carried out to sell the meat of sharks which have been caught in the net.
According to sources, whale sharks are killed so their fins can be sold in China, and other countries where its fins and meat are used to manufacture medicines.
Whale sharks are killed to make money. According to the fishermen, the weight of the shark is around five tons and is 16 feet long.
According to sources, fishermen from Chashma Goth near the Ibrahim Haideri had left for sea for 15 days to hunt. A massive whale shark was caught in their net near the place of Warri.
The whale shark was transported after a journey of several days to the jetty of Ibrahim Haideri on Monday night and it was rotting. According to sources, the shark has been shifted to the Karachi fish harbour where it will be sold through bidding.
The technical director of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Moazzam Ali Khan, while talking to media, said that the species of the shark which was found dead is facing extinction and its hunting is illegal. He informed that laws are available in this regard in both the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh. According to Moazzam, “fishermen from the coastal areas have brought an offspring of a dead whale shark.” He also said that there is no truth about the news that the fins and meat of whale sharks are in high demand all over the world.
He further informed that the meat of whale shark is not sold for more than Rs12 per kilo. According to the WWF technical director, “the whale shark is not only found in Pakistani waters, but they also breed in Pakistani waters.” He said that in light of the dangers faced by the whale shark, the WWF had trained fishermen in 2013, due to which around 75 whale sharks had been freed from the net and have been released into the sea during the past five years.
He also went on to add that the federal and provincial governments must take immediate notice on the death of the shark and those involved in this incident must be punished so that the marine life facing extinction can be protected.
According to the fishermen, the fat from the sharks is used to protect the base of the ship from water for a long time, and its parts are used to manufacture medicines while its meat is used to feed fishes.
