A whale shark weighing in at one-and-a-half tonnes was caught in a fisherman's net near an estuary on January 31 in southern India, tragically dying.

A fisherman named Murthy from Nagore Pattinachery, Tamil Nadu, caught the shark in his net during a fishing run and brought it in to shore on the Vettaru River estuary.

A group of 500 students who had travelled from Thiruvannamalai to the Nagore for a picnic came to investigate and watched the giant fish as it was brought in.

The incident has raised concerns among local wildlife authorities about raising awareness among fishermen from the area about avoiding these endangered giant fish.

S. Kalanithi, the district forest officer of Nagapattinam, commented: “The whale shark is a vulnerable species and is protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

"The fishers should not catch it and should release it if it's caught accidentally. The fish should not be contaminated by any means if it washes ashore. The whale shark should be buried after conducting an autopsy.”

A whale shark weighing in at one and a half tonnes of fish was caught alive in a fisherman's net in Southern india.

The whale shark weighing about one and a half tonnes has been caught in the fisherman's net of Nagore Pattanchery. Fisherman Murthy from Nagore Pattanchery went to sea & One and a half tonnes of whale shark caught in his net when he threw a net into the sea to catch fish. Immediately he towed it to Nagore Vettaru shore with the help of his fellow fishermen. The local people was astonished to see a whale trapped alive. In the meantime, the students and students who traveled from Thiruvannamalai to Nagore Dargah for picnic were delighted to see the whale alive. More than 500 schoolchildren were fascinated by the whale shark that was alive.