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whale shark measuring more than 6 meters in length and weighing more than 1 ton has ended up in pieces after being trapped in a fisherman’s trawl and chopped up in Sambas regency, West Kalimantan.

The incident on Friday reveals a lack of local awareness about endangered animals.

Selakau Police and the local Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) promptly summoned the fisherman, Gustian, for an explanation.

Gustian told the officers that the whale shark had accidently been trapped in his trawl as he spread the net in Selakau waters, some 20 kilometers from the beach. He claimed that when the trawl was lifted, the shark’s fin had been stuck in the net and that the animal was already dead.

Gustian said he did not know that the whale shark was a protected animal. He claimed that as far as he knew, protected marine animals comprised dolphins, sea turtles and whales.

As he and his son, who had gone out to sea with him that day, failed to release the whale shark in the middle of the sea on their own, they decided to drag the net to the pier.

At the pier Gustian apparently collected some 20 kilograms of fish from the net and then went home. Locals then reportedly chopped the carcass of the whale shark up and took the pieces to their respective homes.

Pictures of the whale shark promptly went viral on social media, depicting the crowd, including children, gathered around the dead animal on Selakau
Beach.

The authorities have not yet imposed any sanctions, issuing only a warning to Gustian and asking him to promise not to repeat the mistake.

Gustian expressed hope that the BKSDA would disseminate information on what animals were protected through waterproof posters that could be attached to boats.

The head of the Word Wildlife Fund (WWF) in West Kalimantan, Albert Tjiu, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday that there was no clear information about whether Selakau waters were the habitat of whale sharks.

A similar incident of a whale shark being trapped in a fisherman’s trawl had occurred last year in the region but had not been publicly exposed, he said.

“A survey conducted by a WWF team in Paloh waters shows that fishermen in the area are familiar with the presence of whale sharks there,” Albert said.

He added that fishermen in the area had been complaining about a lack of information regarding protected animals, including whale sharks. “Many still do not understand that,” he said.

According to a 2013 decree from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, whale sharks are fully protected in Indonesian waters, meaning any form of exploitation of the animal is prohibited.

Indonesia is home to nine protected whale shark species.