The owner of a Thai fishing boat will be prosecuted because his crew brought a whale shark on board. The endangered 2-meter mammal ended up in the nets but was released and was not injured, the skipper said.

The case came to light thanks to a video on social media. The boat was chained in Phuket. Police say they will take action against the owner for violation of a 2015 fisheries regulation.

As a result of this incident, the province will expand information to boat owners, especially for boats with tourists. The law requires boats to keep a good distance from the mammals and to release them as soon as possible if they become entangled in a net.

Source: Bangkok Post

6 responses to “Whale shark catch has legal consequences”

  1. Adri says up

    Hello;
    To be clear: a whale shark is not a mammal, but a fish. A shark species!
    Groet
    Adri

  2. Jacques says up

    I heard that the boat owner had to pay a fine of several million bahts. His fishing license could be revoked and the crew would also be fined and possibly out of work for the time the boat is no longer able to sail. There would also have been a search for the whale shark, because it was doubted whether it was still alive. The more so because the belly contents were partly visible and yes those are not good signs of course and contradict what was said by the crew and skipper. Yes, that video has caused a lot and will have even more consequences as can be read.

  3. Ton van Egmond says up

    One little thing: It's not a mammal.

    A whale shark is a fish. It is the largest fish, a shark-like animal. Completely harmless.
    The whale shark has a very large mouth and uses it to sieve plankton and other small stuff out of the water.

    Stay away from the tail.

  4. T says up

    And rightly tackling it hard, that sends a good signal to other fishermen and pirates.
    If we keep going like this, the ocean will be as dead as a door in 25 years!

  5. F wagoner says up

    This whale shark in the photo looks more like 4 meters than 2 meters, and could still have been with the other fish when bringing in the net, and the fisherman put the shark back alive, then why continue, wonder how it will end for this fisherman and his staff, they are of course also without income

  6. Johannes says up

    2 meters?? look at the boat and the male to fish ratio!! 5 meters really comes first!!


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