Gujarat to mark 19th Whale Shark Day, fishermen rescue over 1,000 largest fish species

Gujarat’s coastal belt will observe Whale Shark Day, celebrated annually on Kartak Amaas on November 20 this year. The 19th edition of the programme will be held at the Somnath Community Hall in Mangrol, Junagadh, where senior forest officials, representatives from the Wildlife Trust of India, community leaders, and schoolchildren will participate.

Saurashtra’s fishermen lead conservation movement

Fishermen across Saurashtra have carried forward a remarkable conservation campaign, freeing nearly 1,000 whale sharks caught accidentally in fishing nets.

The movement gathered momentum after spiritual leader Morari Bapu appealed to treat the whale shark as a “daughter of the sea”, urging fishermen not to harm the species or its young ones.

Since 2006, the Forest Department has supported the rescue effort by compensating fishermen up to ₹50,000 for cutting nets during rescue operations. The observance of Whale Shark Day was first proposed by the then forest minister Mangubhai Patel in 2007.

Earlier, whale sharks were hunted for fins and liver oil, fetching up to ₹2 lakh–3 lakh each. It is estimated that around 600 whale sharks were killed in earlier years.