According to China Central Television (CCTV), a fisherman in Fujian Province, Eastern China, has caught a “sea monster” measuring up to 4.5 meters long and weighing nearly two tons.
The fisherman, named Cai Chengzh, was asked what he planned to do with his “catch.” He candidly replied, “I hope to sell it for around 10,000 to 20,000 yuan.”
Marine biologists suggest that the “sea monster” caught by Chengzh may be a whale shark. If correctly identified as a whale shark, Chengzh would not be allowed to sell it, as whale sharks are listed as a protected species under Chinese law.
Whale sharks are considered the gentlest members of the shark family. They typically dwell in deeper warm waters and feed exclusively on plankton.
In February 2012, fishermen at the Karachi fish port in Pakistan also discovered a whale shark measuring over 12 meters and weighing between 6 to 7 tons.
It was towed into the Karachi fish port after being found dead in the Arabian Sea ten days earlier.
