Divers from Mu Ko Surin National Park are racing to locate a whale shark, the tail of which has become entangled in discarded fishing net.
The park’s chief, Kriangkrai Pohcharoen, said on Monday that they had been notified, by the operator of the Andaman Queen dive boat, that divers found a whale shark, about seven metres long, with its tail tangled in an old fishing net on Sunday.
He said that divers from the park were sent to the area where the whale shark was last sighted, but could not locate the fish due to the poor visibility under water.
He said that he has sought cooperation from all dive boats by reporting any sighting of the shark to his office, advising divers to exercise caution and to stay clear of the shark for their own safety.
Kriangkrai also said he has consulted with officials from the Phuket-Sirithan Marine Endangered Animals Rescue and Chulabhorn Underwater Park Conservation centres about how to help the whale shark.
Three rescue teams have been formed, with one of them being responsible for removing the fishing net, another for controlling the shark’s direction and another to provide protection to the other two teams.
