Carcass of beached whale shark to be preserved by Vietnamese scientists

The Nha Trang Oceanography Institute in central Vietnam has decided to preserve the carcass of a whale shark that died after it got caught in a fishing net last week.

The whale shark carcass will be preserved for research. Photo credit: Nguoi Lao Dong

Fishermen and local authorities on Thursday handed over the dead fish to the institute. The carcass has been kept on ice.

On January 23, local fishermen found the whale shark caught in their net. It is 5.5 meters long and weighs more than one ton.

Local residents attempted to take it back to the sea but the seriously injured shark was beached and died soon later.

Nguyen Van Quang, a spokesperson of the oceanography institute, said that whale shark is an endangered species and the largest known fish.

The slow moving filter-feeding shark often feeds in tropical waters and can reach nearly 20 meters in length and weigh dozens of tons, he said.

“The institute’s scientists have successfully preserved two similar carcasses found in Vung Tau and Binh Dinh for scientific research and exhibition,” he said.

(Source: TNO)