A whale shark (Rhincodon typus), often referred to as a spotted whale shark, was found stranded on the coast of Banjar Yeh Kuning Beach, Pekutatan Village, Pekutatan District, Jembrana, on Sunday, October 15, 2023.
Pekutatan Police Chief, Commissioner I Wayan Suastika, confirmed the stranding of the shark in his jurisdiction. The approximately 6-meter-long whale shark was discovered in a lifeless condition, and it is presumed to have perished on Saturday, October 14, 2023.
“At 05:00 AM local time, we received reports from local residents who had sighted a large-sized fish stranded on the shoreline, presumably already deceased,” explained Suastika.
As of Sunday afternoon, according to Commissioner Suastika, the whale shark’s carcass remained at the water’s edge. An evacuation is scheduled for Sunday evening.
Suastika stated that the evacuation will be carried out by teams from the Maritime and Fisheries Resource Surveillance Agency (PSDKP) in Gilimanuk and the Indonesian Wildlife Network (YJSI) in Sumber Klampok for further handling.
“We are still awaiting the teams from PSDKP and YJSI for the evacuation process; up to this point, it remains on the shoreline,” Suastika added.
Previously, the discovery of a 7-meter-long whale shark carcass also caused a stir among the residents of Banjar Yeh Kuning, Pekutatan Village, Pekutatan District, Jembrana, on Friday, September 29, 2023.
Based on records from the Maritime and Fisheries Resource Surveillance Agency (PSDKP), from January to October 2023, three similar whale sharks have stranded on the Jembrana coast. Interestingly, all of them were found in lifeless conditions.
According to Andri Purna Jatmiko, Coordinator of the PSDKP in Jembrana, the first whale shark carcass was discovered on the shores of Air Kuning Village, Jembrana Sub-district, in June 2023. The second, in September 2023, a similar shark was stranded on the shores of Yehkuning Hamlet, Pekutatan Village, Jembrana. Lastly, on Sunday, October 15, a spotted whale shark stranded in the same location, as observed previously.
