KUALA LUMPUR - FOUR Malaysian fishermen could be fined for not releasing a protected 23-foot-long (7-metre-long) whale shark they caught by accident, local media reported on Sunday.

They towed the 2.2 tonne (2 metric tonne) juvenile whale shark, known as a Rhincodon Typus, to shore after it got entangled on Friday in their nets off the coast of northern Penang state.

It died shortly after from the multiple cuts it suffered from the propeller blades.

Penang Fisheries Department director Mohamad Najib Ramli told the Sunday Star newspaper the four men should have immediately released the shark since it was a protected species.

They questioned the fishermen and sent their statements to the department's legal unit for further action, he said.

Mr Ramli didn't say how much they could be fined and fisheries officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

One of the fishermen, Key Chai Yang, told the New Straits Times newspaper the shark was still alive when it reached shore but it succumbed to its injuries shortly after.

The Rhincodon Typus, the largest fish in the world, can be found in warm tropical seas. The leviathan, which has distinctive white spots over its dark gray body, can grow as long as 65 feet (20 metres) and live up to 70 years. -- AP