KARWAR: Catching and selling of large fish like whale shark, sawfish, dolphins and other endangered species are banned in country, but due to lack of awareness, fishermen catch such fish and invite trouble for themselves.
Two days ago a fishing boat from Malpe in Udupi district is suspected to have caught a big whale shark off Murdeshwar coast only to face enquiry from the department concerned, which is underway from Thursday.
To protect these endangered fish, the Union government has listed a number of fish in various schedules of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Likewise, many of these species are also categorised under International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List and other international organisations lists.
According to the photos of fish and Murdeshwar coast which went viral on social media on Wednesday night, a fishing boat from Malpe caught a 14 ft whale shark at the coast in Uttara Kannada district.
It also grabbed the attention of marine experts and forest department too. It is said that the fishermen caught the big fish thinking it was a large sized tiger shark fish which is in great demand in market. Without any knowledge about the ban on fishing of such sea creatures, fishermen are said be have netted the fish and shared the pictures on social media, with Murdeshwar coast in the backdrop.
Amid this, it was also said that ‘the photos that have surfaced on social media is old and is related to a similar catch in Andhra Pradesh. But there is no clarity over the same.
Marine biologist Shivakumar Haragi said, “These sea creatures are endangered. If there is no protection, species will go extinct for permanent. Hence, the government included these fish in scheduled I category of Wildlife Act to conserve them for posterity. Unaware of strictures in place, fishermen catch such fish and the onus is on departments concerned to create awareness against the same.
A team of forest officials visited the coast on Thursday only to enquire about the details related to catch and boat used for the purpose.
Scheduled I fish
Whale Shark, Shark and Ray, Knifetooth Sawfish, Gangetic shark, Speartooth shark, Ganges stingray, Freshwater sawfish, Green Sawfish, Giant Guitarfish, Porcupine Ray, Sea Horse, Pipe fishes and more.