On the 6th February, six Hainanese fishermen caught a 12 metre, 5 tonne whale shark. Article (in Chinese) can be found HERE
Horrible scenes of the dead whale shark
A study by Living Seas Hong Kong is showing a frightening number of whale sharks taken and slaughtered in Chinese ports, from Hainan Island to Zhejiang province. If anyone has reports of whale shark deaths or of whale shark sightings, please let us know. We will publish our findings soon.
Whale sharks are protected under CITES and CMS regulations, it is tragic and unacceptable that they are still caught and slaughtered. China (and Hong Kong) are signatories to CITES and CMS.
Living Seas Hong Kong believes that the Hong Kong goverment needs to urgently protect these animals and ensure that no whale sharks are taken from Hong Kong waters, work needs to be done to work and co-operate with regional authorities, importantly in Mainland China and Taiwan.