Mataram, NTB, June 30 -- The Marine and Fisheries Service of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) has urged tourists visiting Saleh Bay in Sumbawa Island to avoid drawing too close to whale sharks ( Rhincodon typus ) to help protect the endangered species.

"We have set the distance between visitors and whale sharks at around five to 10 meters so that bagang boats do not come in direct contact with whale sharks," head of the aquaculture division of the marine and fisheries service, Karim Marasabessy, informed on Monday.

According to Marasabessy, whale shark tourism is highly dependent on bagang fishermen who fish in Saleh Bay. Whale sharks tend to swarm around bagang boats to eat small fish and rebon shrimp left behind by the fishermen.

He informed...