BUTTERWORTH: Four fishermen on a deepsea fishing trip found a dead whale shark measuring 5.36m in their net 50 nautical miles off the coast.
The fishermen, from Kuala Muda near here, made the discovery at 1am yesterday.
Salleh Hussin, 48, said they tried to release the one-tonne creature back into the sea after realising that it was dead but failed to do so as it was too heavy.
He said they then towed the shark back to the Kuala Muda jetty and informed the Penang Fisheries Department at 7.15am.Department deputy director Khairul Anwar Mohamad, who went to the scene with three staff members, said the department would use the whale shark carcass for research as it was a protected species.
“Our initial investigation found that the fishermen did not catch the fish intentionally,” he said, adding that a decision would be made after the investigation was completed.
It was the second whale shark found in a fishing net in Penang in seven months.
On Jan 2, several fishermen found a 7m-long whale shark in their net 10 nautical miles off Teluk Bahang.
One of them said they found the dead fish when they tried to pull up their net and decided to tow it back to shore as they feared that the carcass if dumped at sea would pollute the waters.
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a filter-feeding shark and is the largest living fish.
The slow-moving creature is known for its playful character and poses no harm to humans.
Whale Shark Attracts Crowd To Kuala Muda Jetty
Bernama 16 Jul 09;
KEPALA BATAS, July 16 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Muda fish landing jetty was today abuzz with curious onlookers trying to get a close look at a 5.36 metre whale shark weighing more than one tonne.
The whale shark (scientific name Rhincodon typus) was brought home by fishermen who found the fish entangled in their net early today.
Whale sharks which usually inhabit deep waters can grow up to 12 metres and weigh up to 14 tonnes.
Fisherman Salleh Hussin, 48, said the whale shark got entangled in his net while fishing 50-60 nautical miles off Penang at 2.15am.
"I and three friends tried to pull up the net at 2.15am after finding a whale shark trapped inside. Since we could not release it, we pulled it back to the beach to save our net from being ruined."
Salleh said he had never seen such a big fish in his 11 years experience as a fisherman.
Meanwhile, Penang Fisheries Department investigating officer Khairull Anwar Muhamad said the fish species could be found in Malaysian waters and that three were found off Penang.
He said fishermen who intentionally caught the fish was committing an offence under the Fisheries regulations (control of endangered fish species) 1999.
"The fish must be returned dead or alive and the meat can't be sold. Our study shows that this fish species will die quickly if trapped in fishing nets.
Khairull said the Fisheries Department would take back the carcass to the research centre at Batu Maung to be studied and later disposed.
-- BERNAMA
Body of whale shark found off Penang coast
M. Sivanantha Sharma, The Star 16 Jul 09;
BUTTERWORTH: Four fishermen on a deep sea fishing trip found a dead whale shark measuring 5.36m long entangled in their net some 50 nautical miles off the coast.
The fishermen, from Kuala Muda near here, made the discovery at about 1am Thursday.
Salleh Hussin, 48, said they tried to release the one-tonne creature -- also known as Rhicondon Typus -- back into the sea upon realising that it had died but failed to do so as it was too heavy.
He said they then towed the fish back to the Kuala Muda jetty and called the Penang Fisheries Department upon reaching there at about 7:15am.
Department deputy director Khairul Anwar Mohamad, who went to the scene with three staff members, said the department would take possession of the shark for research as the fish was a protected species.
“Our initial investigations showed the fishermen did not catch the fish intentionally but we will conduct further investigations,” he said.
It was the seocnd reported landing of a whale shark in Penang.
In Jan 2, four fishermen had a surprise catch when a whale shark got into their nets, 10 nautical miles off the coast of Teluk Bahang.
The whale shark, a filter-feeding shark, is the largest living fish.
The slow-moving creature is known for its playful character and poses no harm to humans.