Sutrapada: Fishermen have freed a 30-feet-long whale shark trapped in their nets on Monday off the coast of Sutrapada in the Western Indian state of Gujarat.

The incident took place two days after the Kharva samaj in Veraval pledged to protect the whale shark.

Sutrapada is 20 kms south of Veraval.

Forest and fisheries officials accompanied the fishermen to rescue the fish – 50 nautical miles off the Sutrapada coast in an operation which lasted for 3 hours.

“This exemplary act shown by the fishermen is the result of Morari Bapu’s appeal to not to harm the fish,” an official who took part in the rescue said.

Whale sharks are endangered species and are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

The IUCN has listed it under Appendix II.

These fishermen are from the Kharva community – the biggest fishing community in the state, who has been involved in a campaign led by Morari Bapu to protect the fish.

At 7.30 am, on February 19, when Kanjibhai Lalabhai Phulbaria saw the fish entangled in his net, he quickly informed the forest officials in Sutrapada for help.

In less than an hour, M. K Chudasama and B. A. Maheda of the forest and fisheries departments respectively reached the spot to join the fishermen in the rescue.

About 30 people took part in the rescue which lasted upto 10.30 am, till the fish was finally released.

To document the incident a photographer was hired by the forest department.

“16 nets, worth rupees 30,000 were destroyed to release the fish.” forest officer, Chudasama said.

Fishermen in Gujarat can now claim compensation for their damaged nets – a provision announced by the government on the Christmas Eve last year, to help the fishermen to bear their losses.

The move was welcomed by the public, including conservationists.

Last year in a similar operation, two other whale sharks were rescued by fishermen in Sutrapada.

The fishermen involved in the rescue were honored last week at a function organized to celebrate the Whale Shark Vhali Utsav 2007 in Veraval. They were given certificates, and a compensation of rupees 25,000 to each of them.

“I feel proud to save the whale shark, and happy that I have done what Bapu asked us to do,” Lalabhai Phulbaria said.

The whale shark awareness campaign was jointly launched by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Tata Chemicals Ltd., Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd. and the Gujarat Forest Department in the year 2004.