Once hunted for oil and meat, whale sharks are now being rescued by fishers along India’s western Arabian Sea coast.
Since 2001, the Wildlife Trust of India has trained fishing communities in safe disentanglement and compensated damaged nets, helping free more than 1,000 accidentally caught sharks.
Experts say payments remain insufficient and call for stronger support to protect the fishers driving these rescues.
by K.A. Shaji
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/whale-sharks-released-from-nets-along-indias-coast-as-fishers-turn-rescuers/