How ‘the largest fish in the sea’ ended up on the roof of a tractor
A dead whale shark being carried on a tractor in a seafood wholesale market in Xiangzhi township in Quanzhou, east China’s Fujian province, on Aug. 1. (AFP/Getty Images)
Weighing about two tons and measuring 16 feet long, this whale shark caused quite an uproar in China after it was transported through the streets of Xiangzhi in east China’s Fujian province. According to local media, a Chinese fisherman caught the whale shark Friday while fishing off Fujian province.
Known as the world’s largest fish, the whale shark can grow up to 45 feet long and live more than 100 years. It’s highly prized on the black market. In January, the environmental group WildLifeRisk exposed what it described as “the biggest ever whale shark slaughterhouse uncovered in southeastern China,” which slaughtered 600 whale sharks annually to produce “shark oil for health supplements.”