Title: Empowering India's Coastal Communities in Whale Shark Rescues
The Wildlife Trust of India's (WTI) "Pan India Whale Shark Project" has rescued and freed an impressive 1,001 gigantic whale sharks that got entangled in fishing nets. This milestone, according to WTI, highlighting the remarkable collaboration between conservationists, authorities, and compassionate fishing communities, represents the significant strides made in saving these ocean's gentle giants.
Whale sharks, the ocean's colossal inhabitants, hold the remarkable record of a whale shark measuring an immense 62 feet (18.8 meters) in length. These gentle titans marvelously filter-feed on plankton, small fish, and other minuscule organisms by swimming with their mouths wide open, catching food from the water. Their distinctive patterns of white spots and stripes on a grayish-blue body make them easily recognizable. Dispersed in tropical and warm temperate oceans around the globe, whale sharks are migratory creatures, often traveling substantial distances for feeding and breeding. Despite their awe-inspiring size, their behaviors and life cycles remain largely mysterious. Regrettably, their existence is jeopardized by various threats like accidental entanglement in fishing gear, habitat destruction, and hunting, making them endangered species.
This latest rescue effort took place celebrating Pongal or Makar Sankranti at Achutheghu, Thiruvananthapuram, in Kerala. Responsible fisherfolk meticulously freed the whale shark from their nets and led it back to the sea, marking the 34th rescue in Kerala since its 2017 joining of the "Pan India Whale Shark Project." This thriving initiative, spearheaded by WTI in cooperation with Kerala's Forest and Fisheries Departments, and backed by VST Industries Limited, flourished due to unwavering local support.
"For the past seven years, this project in Kerala has thrived with community backing," stated Saymanti B, Officer-in-Charge of Natural Heritage Campaigns at WTI. "The 34th rescue from our project site stands as a testament to the power of successful private partnerships. These accomplishments would not have been feasible without the incredible cooperation of the fishing community, supportive collaborators, and donors."
This conservation success story traces back to 2004 with the inauguration of the "Pan India Whale Shark Project" in Gujarat. At the time, these magnificent creatures faced a grave concern due to mass hunting. The situation gained global attention when Mike Pandey's award-winning documentary, "Shores of Silence," exposed the massacre of these noble beings. A subsequent TRAFFIC India report revealed an astounding 600 whale shark landings between 1999 and 2000, drawing the urgency for action. In response, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change designated whale sharks as Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, securing them the highest level of protection, making them the first fish species in India to obtain such status.
Since then, the Gujarat project has assisted in releasing 967 whale sharks back into the wild. Fishermen have played a crucial role in these accomplishments, as their readiness to modify fishing practices and actively participate in conservation efforts significantly contributed to the success, explains WTI. The project's growth was augmented by partnerships with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Tata Chemicals Ltd., and the Gujarat Forest Department, which collectively provided essential resources and support. WTI also tagged 11 whale sharks since 2011, affording researchers the opportunity to monitor their movements, gather insights into their migration patterns, and better understand their activities off India's coastline. Head of the Pan India Whale Shark Project, Farukhkha Bloch, explained, "The Saurashtra coast of Gujarat hosts a preferred aggregation habitat for whale sharks to fulfill their biological needs, especially females for giving birth and feeding on plankton. Our collaboration with the Gujarat Forest Department has enabled us to study their movement patterns and biological preferences." The team looks forward to tagging more sharks for further insights into how they utilize India's coastal waters. As a result of these continued efforts, India's dwindling whale shark population, once teetering on the brink of extinction, now has a renewed chance to flourish.
- The rescue of the 1,001 whale sharks by the Wildlife Trust of India's project underscores the importance of collaboration with fishing communities in shark conservation efforts.
- In Kerala, responsible fishers have played a significant role in the "Pan India Whale Shark Project," tagging 11 whale sharks since 2011 to help researchers understand their migration patterns.
- Despite their endangered status due to threats like accidental entanglement in fishing gear, hunting, and habitat destruction, the gentle giants, including whale sharks and other sharks, remain a crucial part of the ocean's ecosystem.
- The Whale Shark Project in Gujarat began in 2004 to protect whale sharks from mass hunting, a concern that gained global attention following the release of Mike Pandey's documentary, "Shores of Silence."
