Article: Eye to Eye with the Largest Fish on Earth
(Part 2)
By Daniel Stolte, Academy of Scuba Member, Diver and Biologist
May 11, 2009 - Originally Posted to
AcademyOfScuba.com
info@academyofscuba.com
Space telescope
software aids whale shark conservation
Nobody
knows for sure how long whale sharks live. Some have estimated their
life span to be 100 years or even longer. It is believed that by the
time these animals can reproduce for the very first time, they are
already at least 30 years old! Their slow maturation time renders them
vulnerable to overfishing, as it takes a long time to replace
individuals that have been taken. Add to that their large size and
docile behavior, which makes them easy targets, and one can see why
the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed
the whale shark as ‘vulnerable.’ There is indication that populations
have been depleted by harpoon fisheries in several countries targeting
localized concentrations of this huge, slow-moving and
behaviorally-vulnerable species. Only very recently have several
countries begun to take better care of their whale shark populations.
Similarly nebulous are estimates trying to pinpoint the worldwide
population of whale sharks. In short, nobody really knows. To gain a
better idea of whale shark numbers and behavior, Australian scientists
conducted a study that involved large numbers of researchers and
volunteer divers who photographed whale sharks over the course of 12
years in Ningaloo Bay on the northwest coast of Australia, one of the
world’s most formidable gathering places for whale sharks. Using
pattern-recognition software originally developed to keep track of
stars and galaxies in images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope,
the researchers were able to recognize individual animals based on
their spot and stripe patterns, which are as unique as fingerprints.
They found that, at least in Ningaloo Bay, whale shark numbers
increased over time, a trend attributed to efforts in protecting the
whale sharks in that area.
In recent years dive tourism has discovered the appeal of whale sharks
in a number of locations around the world. More and more
governments and agencies have started to realize that sharks are worth
their weight in gold when they are left alive rather than killed for
the market. As an attraction highly sought after by diving tourists
from around the world, a single whale shark can bring in hundreds of
thousands of tourism dollars. Accordingly, steps are being taken to
protect these magnificent creatures.
Best whale
shark diving spots
Any diver
who is lucky enough to come face-to-face with a whale shark will
likely never forget this breath-taking experience. Contrary to what
you may see in some underwater movies or photographs, especially older
ones, it is no longer cool to touch a whale shark, leave alone hitch a
ride, tempting as it may seem. Even though the creatures don’t mind
the contact in most cases, touching the animal damages the mucus layer
covering the skin and renders it vulnerable to infections. When diving
or swimming with a whale shark, we should remember that we are
incredibly lucky to even come this close to a wild creature of such an
enormous size – and take it in with our eyes and cameras only. For
scuba divers who want to observe whale sharks, the best places to
visit are those where the otherwise pelagic animals congregate at
certain times during the year. Popular destinations for whale shark
diving and –watching include off
Isla Mujeres and Isla
Holbox in Yucatan Mexico;
Gladden Spit in Belize; Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia; Útila in
Honduras; Donsol, Pasacao and Batangas in the Philippines; Ujung Kulon
National Park in Indonesia; Nosy Be in Madagascar and the Tanzanian
islands of Mafia, Pemba and Zanzibar.
Links:
Want to
see what it’s like to swim with a whale shark?
Watch a video on the Florida Museum of Natural History website:
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/Descript/Whaleshark/whaleshark.html
To learn
more about shark finning and to find out how you can take action,
visit
http://www.stopsharkfinning.net
In
addition to featuring stunning footage of sharks in the wild, the
documentary ‘Sharkwater’ offers a gripping account of the mafia-like
structures that run the shark finning business:
http://www.sharkwater.com
