It sound like something fresh out of a down in the mouth budget sci fi flick , but the megamouth shark is not only actual , it ’s amazing . These derp - faced giants are the third prominent shark in the sea and they ramble the deep using their enormous mouths , lined withcomical rubbery lips , to sink in feed on plankton and jellyfish , just likebasking shark . There have been fewer than 300 spotted since their discovery in 1976 and they are consider extremely rarefied , mean trivial is know about these deep - ocean animals . Their rarity has unfortunately made them a valuable specimen , and a worrying vogue in Taiwan has galvanise conservation groups to urge for better protection and improved sportfishing practices to forbid the death and trade of megamouth sharks .
“ Globally there have been 230 reported catchings of megamouth sharks , ” order Jonathan Tree from theEnvironment & Animal Society of Taiwan(EAST ) , in an consultation with IFLScience . “ One hundred and forty - six of these have been catch by Taiwanese fisheries , which together account for nearly two - thirds of global catchings .
“ While fishing operators claim megamouth catchings are accidental by-catch , in 2018 - 19 just three fishing vessel were responsible for 72 megamouth shark catchings off the coast of easterly Taiwan . This month , four vessels caught six megamouth sharks in the space of just four years . ”
Megamouths typically swim at depths of around 120 - 166 meters ( 394 - 545 base ) during the solar day , but they have predictable vertical migrations which fetch them within fishing ambit between dusk and first light at just 12 - 25 meters ( 39 - 82 feet ) below the sea surface . It ’s indecipherable if this migration is in search of food or favorable light status , but it puts the huge sharks at risk from capture be it as inadvertent bycatch or otherwise .
These unique creatures unfortunately sell for a eminent price , between $ 6,000 and $ 180,000 depending on their size . They ’re seek after by secret vendee for their caudal quintet and conservation radical such as EAST fear this fiscal incentive makes catching megamouths an inviting candidate for fisherman . Data gathered from the only megamouth ever tag indicate they are slowly - go , with an average speed of just half a cadence per second , which combined with their predictable daily movements makes them an prosperous aim .
“ In 2014 , Taiwan ’s Council of Agriculture act out a compulsory coverage system for megamouth sharks , ” said Tree . “ The regulations need that black cat and sportfishing operators who have get a megamouth shark report the spying to authorities within 24 hours of their arrival in the port . However , these measures have failed to protect the megamouth shark from a modest group of fishing operators determined to gain from these rare creatures .
We call on the Taiwanese authorities to be a responsible international histrion and act quick to introduce a similar ban on megamouth spotting , before the megamouth shark vanishes from our sea . ”
[ H / T : Taiwan News ]
