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Locals cut up dying beached whale shark for consumption in West Java
"Seeing a huge whale shark stranded on the beach, they immediately used the opportunity to get something to eat"
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Illustration: A whale shark approaches the surface. (Shutterstock/Andrea Izzotti)
Locals and fishermen have cut up a dying whale shark stranded on Ciwidig Beach, Cianjur regency, West Java for consumption.
The residents found the 7-meter-long shark swimming in shallow waters near the beach on Sept. 24 and pulled it to the beach.
They then reportedly sliced up the 1 ton dying shark on the beach and took the meat home for consumption.
Technical management unit (UPTD) head of the Cidaun Fishery Agency, Eli Muslihat, said fishermen living around Cidaun coastal areas had not been out to the open seas for days due to bad weather.
"Seeing a huge whale shark stranded on the beach, they immediately used the opportunity to get something to eat," Eli said as reported by Kompas.tv.
Read also: Beached dwarf sperm whale cut up, extracted for oil in Bali
"Their financial situation has worsened due to the pandemic and bad weather exacerbates the problem," she added.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included the whale shark on its red list of threatened species, calling it “endangered”. The species’ population is believed to have decreased by more than 50 percent over the last 75 years.
Indonesia, through the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, lists the whale shark as a protected animal as its population continues to decrease due to massive hunting. (nal)
