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Whale Shark Conservation
Whale sharks [Rhincodon Typus] are the largest fish in the world, reaching up to 20 metres long and up to 35 tonnes in weight. Their huge size, their curiosity towards humans and their status as harmless plankton-feeding creatures makes them a popular tourist attraction. A study conducted in 2004 estimated the value of international whale shark tourism at 47.5 million US Dollars per annum, and noted that this is an industry that is rapidly on the increase in both size and value.
The tendency of whale sharks to aggregate in certain coastal regions has proven a boon to tourist industries but has also had the negative effect of allowing fisheries to target the species in certain countries. Whale sharks have an extremely long lifespan, estimated to be in the region of 100 years and are slow growing with a presumed low reproductive output. All fisheries have shown a consistent pattern of high initial catches followed by a rapid decline as populations are depleted. Despite their value to tourism industries, whale sharks are now listed as an internationally threatened species and face a significant and very real risk of worldwide extinction.
This stretch of coast is a major year-round feeding area for the whale sharks, and the populations are dominated by juvenile male sharks between 4 and 10 metres in length. Little is known about the link between this population and the rest of the Indian Ocean. One satellite-tagged whale shark was tracked to South Eastern Madagascar, making several dives to over 1200 metres in depth as it swam across the Mozambican Channel. Though whale sharks are not targeted by fisheries in the Western Indian Ocean, there is evidence that the rate of net entanglement injuries to whale sharks in Tofo is increasing over time and the threats to these gentle giants are currently under careful and constant study.
The biggest threat these animals face on a daily basis is outboard motors from boats. Many sharks suffer from severe injuries caused by the propellers of these boats. It is suspected that a great percentage of the time it is fatal as the shark's spine gets cut in half. This happens due to the sharks spending most of their time a few centimetres under the surface. Accidents like these can be easily be avoided by wearing Polaroid sunglasses.
Threats to Whale Sharks in order of severity of impact are:
- Shark Finning
- Injuries to due net entanglement
- Injuries sustained from outboard motors.
- Illegal fishing enterprises
- Shark fin soup. Sharks are being harvested solely for their fins in order to make sharkfin soup.
What we do:
- We promote conservation initiatives in and around the Tofo population specifically but support and encourage conservation, research and education initiatives worldwide.
- We promote education and conservation of these friendly giants in an endeavour are educating people, so that they are more informed and hopefully learn more about these incredible animals before it is too late to save the remaining few, by way of documentaries, worldwide educational talks and conferences.
- We are making them more valuable alive than dead.
What you can do:
- Don’t buy shark products
- Don’t support towns with shark nets
- Wear Polaroid sunglasses at all times while driving/skipping boats
- Report suspicious activities and document them with photos
- Dive with them, experience them and increase your knowledge so that you in turn can educate and teach others about sharks.