Fishermen of Periya Neelankarai village spotted a lone whale shark off the coast for two days over the weekend.
On June 9, fishermen informed the TREE Foundation that they had noticed around 20 whale sharks at noon. Around 4 p.m., a lone whale shark was said to have been swimming around close to the shore. The Marine Mammal Conservation, Stranding and Rescue team from TREE foundation subsequently confirmed that it was indeed a juvenile whale shark (Rhincodon typus).
The next day a lone whale shark was again sighted near the shore in the same location. T.A. Pugalarasan, who was present there with the TREE team, observed the shark for a while and jumped into the waters to examine it and found that it was not injured or entangled in ghost nets.
“What makes this sighting special is that the whale shark was found around 50 to 100 metres from the shore as they are usually found much further into the sea,” said Supraja Dharini, founder-chairperson, TREE. The three-month ban on fishing with mechanised boats owing to the breeding season could be a factor, she said.
Whale sharks are listed as ‘Endangered’ in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
