July 4, 2012 - A Whale shark and two Green sea turtles were successfully released off Hainan Island, China. With blue skies above and turquoise waters below, approximately 50 people, including government officials, students, volunteers, local fishermen, and community members, boarded a boat in Lingshui Bay where the animals were set free into their ocean home.
Sea Turtles 911 Founding Director, Frederick Yeh, hailed the day as a celebration of freedom for marine animals, "Sea turtle conservation does not only involve sea turtles. When we protect charismatic species such as Whale sharks, those efforts spill over and protect sea turtles as well. These two animals share the ocean, and we must learn to share the ocean with them." He added that currently, sea turtles and sharks are endangered entirely due to human-related causes; therefore, "Protecting them is humankind's responsibility."
Satellite tags fitted
The Whale shark and one of the sea turtles were outfitted with satellite transmitter tags that will communicate information such as their location, swimming speed and depth, and surrounding water temperatures. Despite being the largest fish in the ocean, very little is known about the life histories of Whale sharks, particularly in the South China Sea. Suzanne Gendron, Director of Ocean Park, announced. The satellite tag will help biologists learn more about their extremely long migration paths, areas in which they feed, and possibly even where they breed, so that conservation efforts are focused in these places.
The Whale shark and one of the sea turtles were outfitted with satellite transmitter tags that will communicate information such as their location, swimming speed and depth, and surrounding water temperatures. Despite being the largest fish in the ocean, very little is known about the life histories of Whale sharks, particularly in the South China Sea. Suzanne Gendron, Director of Ocean Park, announced. The satellite tag will help biologists learn more about their extremely long migration paths, areas in which they feed, and possibly even where they breed, so that conservation efforts are focused in these places.
Whale shark
The Whale shark was a juvenile male measuring 6 metres (20 feet) in length and weighing approximately 1 ton. It is believed that adults can reach up to 20 metres (65 feet) in length and weigh 30 tons. The Whale shark was caught by a Chinese fishing boat and kept captive, a practice we are now focusing on to make sure the sharks are then released, as this one was with a satellite tag.
The Whale shark was a juvenile male measuring 6 metres (20 feet) in length and weighing approximately 1 ton. It is believed that adults can reach up to 20 metres (65 feet) in length and weigh 30 tons. The Whale shark was caught by a Chinese fishing boat and kept captive, a practice we are now focusing on to make sure the sharks are then released, as this one was with a satellite tag.
Whale sharks are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are often victims of fisheries by-catch, accidentally caught by fishing boats, or hunted and killed for the value of their large fins to be used in shark fin soup. A traditional Chinese dish, the demand for shark fin soup has increased as China's economy grows. In recent years 'shark-finning' has become controversial due to the inhumane nature of the catch; caught sharks have their fins sliced off and are thrown back overboard to eventually drown, unable to swim without their fins. It is estimated that approximately 100 million sharks are killed each year for the industry.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!