By Our Special Correspondent
Thiruvananthapuram: Two fishermen here as a testament to community-led conservation have stepped up to rescue two whale sharks caught in their fishing nets and returned them successfully to the sea, said in a statement issued by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) here today.
On November 09, a 16-foot-long whale shark was found entangled in a fishing net off the coast of Muthalapozhi near here , led by the local fisherman, Mr jibin B, a team of 50 fishermen worked together to safely carry out the rescue operation.
Later on November 10, around 100 hours , a juvenile whale shark became entangled in a fishing net at Anjuthenga. Mr Andrew Anthony, a local fisherman took swift actionby cutting the net to free the distressed animal, ensuring its safe return to the sea, the statement added.These rescues rescue season marked the beginning of the post-monsoon whale shark rescue season and brought the project’s total number od successful releases to 26, the statement added, ‘Save the Whale Shark Campaign’ is receiving encouraging response’.
As a vital keystone species in the marine ecosystem, the whale shark is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and listed as “Endangered ‘ in the ICUN Red List.
These rescues are a testament to the ongoing efforts of the “Save the Whale Shark Campaign ‘led by the Wildlife Trust of India, in collaboration with the Kerala Forest Department and Fisheries Department and supported by VST Industries Limited .The campaign seeks to empower the fishing community to respond positively and become more vigilant in reporting sightings and incidents involving whale sharks. This shift is profound, considering that once upon a time, fisher folks along the west coast of India engaged in hunting whale sharks at their aggregation sites, engaging in commercial trade. Today, accidental entanglements in fishing nets, collisions with boats, and rampant coastal pollution have emerged as major threats to the survival of these gentle giants, the statement said.
Wildlife Trust of India is a conservation organization established in 1998 with a mission to conserve nature, especially endangered species and threatened habitats in partnership with communities an governments and WTI has saved over 50,000 animal lives, trained and equipped over 20,000 frontline forest staff in its 25 years of operation and assisted overnment in creating 7 Projected Areas, sensitized 31 lakh children to conservation and assisted enforcement agencies in combatting wildlife crimes, the statement added.
Laban, the fisherman who rescued the whale shark, said , “ I’ve been a fisher for half my life, and I’ve seen whale sharks before out in the open sea. I recently learned about this campaign, so when I found one tangled in my net , I knew I had to step up and save its life”! The Marine Specialist at WTI, Mr Sajan John said “By saving this magnificent creature , the fishers not only demonstrated their commitment to marine life conservation but also showed the positive impact of education and community involvement in safeguarding our oceans and their credible inhabitants”.
