Divers Find 8 Dead Blacktip Sharks In Waters Off Pulau Hantu On 28 Aug
It can be devastating to come across dead animals in the wild, especially if they’re rare or endangered.
Recently, a group of divers discovered a gruesome sight during an expedition in Singapore waters.
Source: Marine Stewards on Facebook
They found at least eight dead blacktip sharks with horrifying damage all over their bodies.
Judging by the condition of the gills, it’s believed that the sharks had been caught in a net. They also had puncture wounds and ripped mouths.
8 juvenile blacktip sharks found dead & mutilated
On Sunday (28 Aug), Facebook page Marine Stewards posted photos of dead juvenile blacktip sharks lying all over the bottom of the sea.
According to the environmental conservation organisation, divers stumbled upon the carcasses in the waters off Pulau Hantu at a depth of 10 or 11m.
Source: Ishan Lamba via Marine Stewards on Facebook
The pictures show the bodies in very bad condition. According to Marine Stewards, all the sharks had damage to the gill area, suggesting that they had been caught in a net.
One of the divers, Robert Tan, shared more photos of the sharks, as well as his theory on what might’ve happened.
Source: Robert Tan on Facebook
Mr Tan, who only saw five sharks at first, reported that all of them had puncture wounds at the gills, some going all the way through to the other side.
Their mouths were also badly ripped.
Source: Robert Tan on Facebook
These led Mr Tan to believe that fishermen had caught the sharks the night before, spiked them to death, tore out the hooks, and then dumped them back into the sea.
Apparently, the divers had spotted a “murder weapon” as well, but Mr Tan did not go into further detail about this.
Source: Tsu Soo Tan on Facebook
Dive guide Rasaalika Singhania told Channel NewsAsia (CNA) that one of the bodies also had “several stab and slash wounds”. She said,
Sharks are critical to our ecosystem and I cannot begin to fathom why someone would do this.
Nets and trash harmful to marine life
Elaborating on the possibility that the sharks were caught in a net, a Marine Stewards spokesperson explained that since the gill area is more fragile, it could have been injured in the struggle to break free.
However, they can’t be absolutely certain at this stage and would need to conduct a post-mortem to find out more, CNA reports.
Besides blacktip sharks, there have also been cases of gill nets trapping turtles and other marine life.
Juvenile Sharks, Crabs & Fishes Found Trapped In Abandoned Gill Net On Pulau Semakau
Destructive fishing methods aren’t the only threat to underwater creatures.
Ms Rasaalika told CNA that besides the dead sharks, she saw a lot of rubbish in the sea during the dive. The group even collected fishing weights, hooks, and a total of 20 to 30m of fishing lines.
All this trash, Ms Rasaalika said, can suffocate corals and trap creatures, creating a devastating impact on the ecosystem.
Be kinder to marine life
While the images of the dead sharks may be disturbing to some, this should serve as a wake-up call on the importance of protecting and preserving our marine life.
Although not all of us go fishing, especially with gill nets, there are many things we can do – or refrain from doing – in order to do our part for nature. For instance, we shouldn’t dump our trash into the sea or any other body of water.
Hopefully, something can be done about the harmful fishing activities in the area. Perhaps the next time people go diving, they’ll be able to see these beautiful sharks alive and well.
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Featured image adapted from Marine Stewards on Facebook & Robert Tan on Facebook.
