A still whale shark dangled from a crane on a trawler floating offshore Phuket. Its tail was tied to a lifting machine with a rope. As a by-catch, the heavyweight whale was lifted up by the machine and placed on one side of the vessel's deck. Some crewmen then pushed its massive body into the water.
There was a splash and the whale shark disappeared beneath the waves. No one was even sure if it was still alive or dead. This uncertainty reflects a serious problem in our oceans, which have been greatly damaged by destructive fishing practices.
Paritta Wangkiat is a columnist, Bangkok Post.
