Ahmedabad: Gujarat can be proud of encouraging the success of conservation projects that have saved 1,689 whale sharks – the largest fish on earth – from fishing nets in the last 16 years.
The highest number of rescue was carried out in the state in 2019-20 when the Pope’s 781 sharks were released into the sea.
Pope Shark Conservation Projects, Joint Venture of Gujarat Forestry Department, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Tata Chemicals Ltd (TCL), spread awareness about the fate of species and its protected status among coastal communities in the state.
This project has changed fishermen to be a protector of the whale sharks and bring their changes in the attitude of the species.
“When the project began in 2004, there were concerns about execution.
In the early years, some fishermen agreed to join.
Community involvement and religious leaders have been very helpful,” said a forest official.
The whale shark, who came to Gujarat Beach from Australian and African waters, was brutally hunted along the coast because their meat was quite popular in China and Europe.
“At an average of 50-60 whale sharks are saved every year.
Every rescue must be recorded as a video and photo and only then the claims are cleaned,” he said.