Karachi fishermen, on Thursday, brought a 20-feet-long whale shark, a protected species, for sale at Ibrahim Hyderi village.
The whale sharks are one of the largest fish species alive in the world today. Their hunting, marketing, and trading are banned under the Sindh and Balochistan fisheries laws.
Head of the Coastal Media Centre of the Fisherfolk Forum, Kamal Shah, said that the giant fish was brought to the shore by local fishermen after it was found dead at sea.
“Apparently, this whale shark, which had got injured after being hit by some vessel in the open sea, died, and local fishermen brought it to the jetty and sold it to a local factory owner,” he said.
However, the technical advisor of the WWF-Pakistan, Dr. Moazam Khan, rubbished the claim, saying that the fishermen hunted this endangered fish, brought it to the jetty, and also sold it against the laws.
“It’s extremely sad that fishermen killed it. They should be punished under the law,” he said while emphasizing the need for creating awareness among fishermen about the importance of the fish.
Fishermen in Ibrahim Hyderi, however, claimed that the fish accidentally got entangled in the net and died.