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Whale
sharks in the Western Indian Ocean are being targeted by
local fishermen; a report from Tofo Beach at Inhambane,
Mozambique recently revealed. According to a local report
"a juvenile whale shark was captured by artisanal
fishermen with nets in the open ocean, and dragged to the
shore where it was promptly slaughtered. This is not the
first time that this particular area of Inhambane has
suffered such slaughter as Manta Rays, famous from the
area, are caught on a regular basis."
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| The
remains of the juvenile whale shark left on the
shore at Tofo. Photo: tofoscuba.com |
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Apparently
the taking of whale sharks in Mozambique is not unknown
having been previously reported at Ponta do Ouro (southern
tip of Mozambique), Inhaca Island and Inhambane. However
it seems that this was the first targetted attack as
Marcos Pereira, of the Center for Environmental Research
and Advocacy (CTV), commented. "On the previous
events it wasn't actually the fishermen chasing down the
whale shark.... it was a case of the whale sharks washing
ashore alive and being slaughtered on the beach..."
The
reason behind this particular slaughter is not clear but
in an area where the majority of the population live at
near subsistence level a large surface swimming fish like
a whale shark must present a very tempting target. As in
many similar areas a number of social problems have to be
addressed before conservationists stand a real chance of
being able to make significant headway, but it is not
impossible.
Nick
Raba, a local conservationist, pointed out however that
the shark appeared to have had some of its fins removed
which would be a worrying new threat to whale sharks in
this area. Generally whale shark fins are not sought after
for the shark fin soup industry as the cartilaginous fibres they contain are regarded as too tough for soup
making. However the fins are used as advertising /
decoration in shark-fin soup restaurants so may now be
generating a 'Trophy' value.
The
local dive centres at Tofo beach already take visitors out
on snorkelling excursions so perhaps whale-shark based
eco-tourism could provide sufficient income to the local
community to stop the hunting of whale sharks. These
centres also play a valuable role in reporting illegal
fishing activities in the area to local authorities.
Nick
Raba, noted that "besides Whale Sharks now being on
the CITES listing, and the need to preserve these giants
of our Oceans, the negative tourist impact for Mozambique
is potentially disastrous."
If
you would like to assist with conservation efforts in
Mozambique please e-mail Marcos Pereira at the Center for
Environmental Research and Advocacy (CTV).
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