GEORGE TOWN: A large crowd turned up at the Teluk Bahang beachfront yesterday to see the carcass of a rare giant whale shark lying on the shore.
Known as Rhicodon Typus, the leviathan weighed two tonnes and measured 7m in length.
Fisherman Keh Chai Yang, 52, said the shark got entangled in his net about 3am, 10 nautical miles off Pulau Kendi here, yesterday.
"I have never seen such a gigantic shark in my 30 years as a fisherman.
"It suffered multiple cuts from the propeller blades under my boat."
It took Keh two hours to tow the shark to shore.
He said it was still alive upon arriving at Teluk Bahang about 5.30am but there was no sign of life after a short while. The carcass was later sent to the state Fisheries Department.
According to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology website, the rare whale shark can be found in warm tropical seas.
They are the largest sharks in the world, reaching a maximum length of 20m.
On Dec 14, the carcass of a 2m dolphin was floating off the Esplanade seafront.
The carcass was pulled out of the water by an ntv7 cameraman.
The dolphin had suffered a deep cut on its head believed to have been caused by a propeller.
Whale of a catch for deep-sea fishermen
Andrea Filmer, The Star 3 Jan 09;
GEORGE TOWN: Four fishermen had a huge New Year’s surprise when an unexpected visitor swam into their nets, 10 nautical miles off the coast of Teluk Bahang.
The group was deep-sea fishing near Pulau Kendi when a 7m-long whale shark got entangled in their trawl nets at 3am yesterday.
“We didn’t know what was in the net, so two of us pulled it up and saw the shark.
“In my 30 years of being a fisherman, I have never seen this. I didn’t even know what species it was,” said fisherman Keh Chai Yang, 52.
They returned to shore with the shark at 5.30am.
Keh said they had informed the state Department of Fisheries of the two-tonne whale shark and would surrender the fish to them.
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a filter feeding shark that is the largest living fish.
The slow-moving creature is known for its playful character and poses no harm to humans.
Fishermen who caught whale shark may be fined
The Star 4 Jan 09;
GEORGE TOWN: The four fishermen who caught a juvenile whale shark by accident on New Year’s Day may be fined – the fish is an endangered and protected species.
Penang Fisheries Department director Mohd Najib Ramli said statements had taken from the four and forwarded to the department’s legal unit in Putrajaya for further action.
“It is up to the unit. They may be compounded for catching the fish,” he said.
Mohd Najib said deep-sea fishermen should immediately release endangered or protected marine wildlife that got entangled in their nets.
He said fishermen should be alert and ready to act quickly to release such wildlife.
“They should not leave it in the net.
“If the fish or animal had died while in the net, the Fisheries Department must be notified,” he said in an interview.
On Friday, the shark was caught in fishermen’s trawl nets 10 nautical miles off Teluk Ba- hang.
The 7m-long fish got entangled in the nets at 3am. The four fishermen later returned to shore in Teluk Bahang, with the fish, at 5.30am.
The two-tonne whale shark was surrendered to the state Fisheries Department and hauled to the tuna landing port in Batu Maung by fishing boats on Friday eve- ning.
It was transported to the Fisheries Research Institute (FRI), where it was buried at 3.20pm yesterday – minus its fins and part of its tail.
Najib said the parts cut off would be sent to the Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre (Tumec) in Terengganu for research.
“In about one month, we will take out the whale shark’s bones and send them to Tumec where they will be put on exhibition,” he said.
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a filter-feeding shark known for its playful character.
It is the largest living fish that poses no harm to humans.