Baby whale shark ensnared in Fujairah fishing nets causes a stir

Fishermen working off the east coast had an unexpected visitor last week when a baby whale shark was caught in their nets.

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DUBAI // Fishermen working off the east coast had an unexpected visitor last week when a baby whale shark was caught in their nets.

A staff member from the Divers Down diving centre in Fujairah filmed the incident on Wednesday as others rushed to help the fishermen to free the fish.

“When the fishermen dragged their nets in, they realised there was a whale shark stuck in it,” said Rhys Jacobson, an Australian scuba diver who helped to free the shark.

“A lot of people noticed it. We ran down and, when I got there, they dragged the net to the shore and the whale shark was still in it.” He said the fishermen started cutting the nets to free the fish.

“We were about four or five local fishermen, another man and myself,” said Mr Jacobson. “We pulled the net around it, grabbed its tail, turned it around and dragged it out to sea. It was beached although still under water.”

The three-metre-long shark was heavy, but harmless.

“They’re good with human interaction, they’ll stay around boats and you can play with them,” said Mr Jacobson. “They don’t eat meat, so they don’t attack humans at all. That’s why we had no problem grabbing its tail.”

Mr Jacobson said it was his first sighting of a shark in the area.

“It’s a very rare thing to see,” he said. “A lot of guests from the resort nearby were very curious about it, so there were about 50 people watching and they all cheered once we pulled it back to sea.”

Dominique Gallrte, a Filipino cleaner at the centre, captured the incident on video.

“We were running towards the area where they captured the whale shark and we were so excited to see it,” she said. “I am very grateful that there were a lot of people there because I thought the fishermen would keep it if they were alone. But it’s still a baby, so I’m grateful it was freed. It’s the second time I saw one. My first sighting was when I dived in Dibba Rock.”

cmalek@thenational.ae