Whale shark

Subject – Environment

Context – Carcass of fourth dead whale shark in 11 months found on Odisha beach

Concept –

Whale sharks are a protected species under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. They are also included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.
The whale shark is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest-known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 18.8 metres. The whale shark is also notably the largest living non-mammalian vertebrate.
These sharks often get entangled in fishing nets due to their feeding habits.
The largest whale shark aggregation is in Gujarat and the only whale shark aggregation along the east coast is in Andhra Pradesh.
Whale sharks had no commercial importance. However, fishers illegally extracted their fins and livers.