Trip Update
The MWSRP has a unique opportunity to determine growth rates of ‘wild' whale sharks due to the high re-sighting rate - the team knows 130 sharks but has logged 800 encounters with those individuals. No tags have been deployed or skin biopsy samples taken this trip. The team have not had the opportunity to recover any tags either as tourist numbers on the reef are at an all time high. The research team does not tag, remove tags or take skin samples when other people are in the vicinity.
A few new individuals including another female whale shark have been encountered but the population remains heavily male biased - 124 males to 5 females. However, the discovery of the new female is still exciting stuff. Many of the previously tagged individuals have also been encountered in and around the MPA and results from the last tagging study (May 2009) are showing that the whale sharks are highly mobile, venturing into Indian waters, close to the Seychelles and even as far as the Central Arabian Sea. Other significant quantifications are the relationships between encounters and tidal activities.
The team certainly has its work cut out for the following year as more research projects are being developed each week.
The MWSRP continues to work with the local community. School trips to the reef are planned on 15th and 16th January with Dhangethi and Fenfushi Islands and school exchanges with a UK school and the American school of Doha are being developed to go ahead later in 2010.
Obviously there have been some lows. These, unfortunately are mainly due to the lack of development as far as the marine protected area (MPA) is concerned. Although the globally significant, year round whale shark aggregation site at the southern tip of South Ari Atoll was named as a MPA in June 2009 (recognizing it as a special place and in-turn encouraging more tourism to visit the area) there has been no release of rules, regulations or otherwise to any of the stake holders. The area has become a free for all, bringing habitat disturbance through unregulated tourism to an all time high. Once a shark is spotted, every boat on the reef heads directly for it, manoeuvring their boats as close to the shark as possible. Liveaboards, dive dhonis and tenders all cage the whale shark in, endangering humans and sharks alike, while their guests (regularly 60 - 100 at a time) try to get as close as possible to the shark, sometimes touching and even attempting to ride the sharks.
Again, the very real threat is that these sharks seek other preferential habitats and never return to South Ari Atoll. An example of this already happening in South Ari - Madivaru (manta point) once a famed cleaning station for 30-50 mantas at one time. Now tourists are lucky to see one manta...at ‘Manta Point'.
The MWSRP's answer - We all need to work together to conserve South Ari's whale shark hotspot before it's too late!
The team will be concentrating on achieving the rest of their objectives for the remaining infield period, after which I will send you another update.
Thank you for your time and continued support of the MWSRP and the conservation of a species ‘vulnerable to extinction' - the whale shark.
