In late June, six megamouth sharks, or big mouth sharks, were caught off the coast of Hualien County in four days.
Rare sharks killed once again in Taiwan. In late June, six megamouth sharks, or big mouth sharks, were caught off the coast of Hualien County in four days. All six specimens were killed by the same fishing boat.
The megamouth shark has a voluminous head, a huge mouth about three feet wide, and numerous small teeth. It belongs to a new family with only one genus and one species, Megachasma pelagios, that is "huge mouth of the pelagic waters". They are rare specimens, and the species was discovered in 1976. For this reason their protection should be fundamental. Yet, as an Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) report recommends the government to protect the shark in question, this animal is increasingly under attack by fishing boats.
In late June, six megamouth sharks were caught off the coast of Hualien County. An episode that echoes the fact that in recent years, 72 megamouths have been captured in the same spot with new evidence suggesting that the ships target sharks deliberately.
Taiwan is responsible for almost 2/3s of ? megamouth shark catchings.
And this week, 6 sharks were caught in 4 days off Taiwan's eastern coast.
We demand Taiwan's authorities urgently introduce a ban on megamouth catchings—before it's too late.
? Coast Guard Administration pic.twitter.com/zgoPtRoyNx
— Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) (@east_taiwan) June 19, 2020
The megamouth shark is rarely encountered. The report explains that since its discovery, they have only been sighted 236 times worldwide, and 152 of those occasions have resulted from catches of Taiwanese fishing vessels, accounting for 64% of global sightings.
The vast majority of these catches can be attributed to just four vessels operating off the coast of Hualien. They approach sharks and lay out nets three kilometers long and 130 meters high with large mesh spaces of 30 centimeters.
Government agencies in Taiwan continue to ignore the problem and the destruction of marine ecosystems, while fishermen claim the killings are accidental.
A version that is not very credible considering that the megamouth shark has a market value ranging from 6 thousand to 180 thousand dollars (from 5 thousand to 160 thousand euros approximately) and is used as an ingredient for soups or in Chinese medicine.
Fonte: Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST)
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