Whale shark and conservation status "EMPOWER IAS"

What is the News?

• A female whale shark died after getting trapped in a fishing net off Odisha’s Paradip coast.

 

Whale Shark:

1. Whale Shark(Rhincodon typus) is the largest known extant fish species.
2. Features: Whale Sharks are a ‘filter feeder shark’ which means it does not eat meat like other sharks. They filter seawater and feed on tiny planktons.
3. Habitat: The whale shark is found in open waters of the tropical oceans and is rarely found in water below 21 °C (70 °F). In India, they are mostly found in the Gulf of Mannar and Gujarat coast.

 

Conservation Status:

1. IUCN Red List: Endangered
2. CITES: Appendix II
3. Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I 

 

Threats:

1. Oil & gas drilling, shipping lanes 
2. Accidental entanglement in fishing nets