Accidental Whale Shark Catch in Indonesia Indicates Marine Life Rebound

Fishermen using a stationary net to catch small bait fish in Indonesia got a massive surprise when they captured a 13-foot-long juvenile whale shark.

The incident happened last month at Karimunjawa National Park off the coast of Java, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

The fishermen used a text messaging network in place to report fishing violations to alert authorities about the whale shark.

"Whale sharks have not been common in these waters over the past decade, so the appearance of this animal in a coastal net is a surprise," said Stuart Campbell of WCS's Marine Program. "Fortunately, the SMS (Short Message Service) set up to report fishery violations enabled rangers from the national park service and WCS to respond to this accidental incident fast enough to release the animal."

The WCS said the fishermen sent the SMS messages out to officials because they were unsure of how to handle the huge fish, but also because they feared they may gotten in trouble for inadvertently catching the fish. However, the whale shark was released shortly after authorities responded to the scene.

Marine conservation specialists have suggested that the presence of a whale shark in an area where they are not typically found could indicate that there has been an ecological recovery in the waters Karimunjawa National Park. The recovery, the WCS said, is being attributed to changes in fishing regulations.

"Over the past three years, a series of no-take reserves have been established as well as a total ban on destructive trawl nets that destroy seabed habitat in coastal areas, both of which have led to a boost in local fishery production," the WCS said in a statement.

Officials are crediting the new regulations with what they say has been a 50 percent increase in local fish populations over the past three years. The newly abundant fish stocks are likely bringing the whale sharks back to the area, the WCS said.

"Using texts to respond to fishing violations and strandings has greatly increased the efficiency of regulatory enforcement in Karimunjawa," said Caleb McClennen, director of WCS's Marine Program. "This low-cost system is helping to bring ecological balance back to the coastal waters of Java and is boosting fishing productivity as well."