THE carcass of a 1.5-tonne whale shark, of the Rhincodon Typus species, was found floating in the waters off Pangkor Island on Friday.

Rantau Abang Fisheries Research Institute (FRI) Marine Mammal Branch chief Mohd Tamimi Ali Ahmad said the 5.7m-long male whale shark, which is believed to be five years’ old, was found floating by fishermen at about 3pm.

Upon receiving information on the matter, a joint operation was conducted by the branch, the Kg Acheh FRI as well as the My Teluk Senangin My Fisheries Community. They found the carcass near the Damar Laut Jetty at 6.30pm yesterday.

“The carcass was found in a mangrove area, which made it difficult for us to look for it. The shark, which is believed to have died four days ago, was towed to the Kg Acheh Fisheries Jetty for a post-mortem,” he told reporters at the jetty today.

He said the post-mortem revealed its right pectoral fin had been cut while garbage, including branches and plastics, were found in its stomach, which also contained an excessive amount of water – 37.9 litres.

“We are still investigating its cause of death. This whale shark is often found in Pulau Sembilan, Bagan Datuk as the area is rich with anchovies and prawns,” he said, adding that irresponsible parties would kill the sharks for their fins.

He advised fishermen and the public not to disturb the whale sharks, which are an endangered marine species protected under the Fisheries Act 1985. – Bernama, January 24, 2021.