Date:28/12/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/12/28/stories/2002122801700300.htm

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Captured whale shark dies at aquarium

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Dec. 27. A juvenile whale shark that was trapped in a fishing net off the cost of Vizhinjam died at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) aquarium today.

The 95-cm long fish which was handed over to CMFRI scientists on Thursday by fishermen is reported to be the smallest recorded anywhere in the country. The second smallest whale shark measuring 3.15-m was recorded off the Mandapam coast.

The whale shark, which is the largest fish on earth, is an endangered species usually found in the deep seas. An adult can grow to a length of 20 m and weigh up to 20 tonnes. The flat head resembles that of a whale while the rest of the body is like a shark with a prominent dorsal fin.

The skin of the whale shark has white spots on a black background.

It feeds on plankton and small crustaceans. Unlike whales which come up to the surface of the ocean to breathe air, the whale shark breathes through its gills.

CMFRI scientists say the fish, which ended up at the aquarium, could have drifted away from its deep sea habitat by accident. Brought ashore by fishermen who found it entangled in a net, the fish was transferred to a tank where it was kept under observation.

``We knew it would not survive long outside its habitat. Releasing it back into the sea would not have made any difference. The whale shark requires a water column pressure of about 1000 m. Having drifted away, the major pressure difference would have affected its bouyancy mechanism as well as vital body systems," says Dr. Gopakumar, principal scientist, CMFRI.