This is so sad... Whaleshark harrasment

[tomfcrist]

Has anyone that is whining about this guy taking a 4 second dorsal ride realized that the whale shark was the instigator of first contact? It bulldozed a spear fisherman. I am appalled that a whale shark is so disrespectful that it would dare modify the natural behaviors of those human beings.

 

[Water Boy76]

Seriously... Harassing a whale shark?
I smell hippies - go hug a tree granola eaters.

 

[BDSC]

I don't see what happened to be any big deal at all. If folks are truly worried about how marine life is affected by human interaction, they will just stay out of the water and give up scuba diving. Is the whaleshark stressed by just seeing divers in the water? We don't know. But if there is that chance, then just don't dive. Of course people that whine and complain about something like we see in the video or other situations where divers interact with marine life will only carry their belief to a certain point. They will say don't touch, but they are not willing to carry their belief to the ultimate and just give up diving for the good of the marine environment.

 

[bubbly noob]

Fishes have their own ecco system protecting their scales, touching will disturb it.
The small pressure on a fish body does create pain, for the very large majority never feel pressure or a touch.

And to a spiritual point of view, it looks like the Sharks are actually getting in between, asking the killer to "go away! give us a brake with your big fat bag loaded, crunching our dying brothers & sisters"

 

[Huzzar]

Fishes have their own ecco system protecting their scales, touching will disturb it.
The small pressure on a fish body does create pain, for the very large majority never feel pressure or a touch.

And to a spiritual point of view, it looks like the Sharks are actually getting in between, asking the killer to "go away! give us a brake with your big fat bag loaded, crunching our dying brothers & sisters"

Fish are incapable of feeling pain in anyway that you would understand it because they don't have pain receptors and even if they did their brains aren't sufficiently developed to translate a signal into a pain response. If you've ever caught a fish, released it and then watched it immediately hit your bait again you'd know that intuitively.

Can a fish be stressed. Sure, but I have a hard time believing that amount of contact will have the Whale Shark on Ignoritall for the rest of its life.

Now, if you're talking about the clowns that harass bonnet sharks with Waverunners we can agree on something.

 

[Tigerman]

While I wouldn't touch the whaleshark on purpose myself (it DID afterall "run the diver over") for a few reasons like the fact you don't want to be smacked by that tail, I can't see how whats in this video pose any immediate or longterm damage to the whaleshark..
If you want to be concerned about animal or fish harassment and abuse, theres definetly better places to start than with someone who was run over by a 10+ meter animal and hung on to it for a few seconds..

 

[Hank49]

your big fat bag loaded, crunching our dying brothers & sisters"

I believe that was a chum bag and it looked like it was working bringing in that yellow fin tuna.

I would have definitely harassed that tuna. Ahi shoyu poke…….mmmmmmmm

 

[Superlyte27]

Guys, this fish swims to depths of 2000' deep and at speeds greater than 30mph. If the shark didn't want to be bothered, he wouldn't be bothered. Relax. I promise he can leave if he wants to.

 

[knotical]

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[shoredivr]

go hug a tree

I've never understood why this is hurled around like an insult. There are a number of studies that show being in a forest actually lowers blood pressure and improves immune response. In Japan there is a program studying the short-term beneficial effects of trees on people. *shrug*