THE
WHALE SHARK CAMPAIGN
Largest
living fish in the world found on Gujarat coasts !
This is a fact not known
to most Indians, especially to the people of Gujarat.
The whale sharks have been noticed arriving at the
Gujarat coast for over a century now.
SOME FACTS
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Family name : Rhincodontidae
Common name : Whale Shark
Scientific name : Rhincodon typus
Adult size : Upto 30 – 50
feet (9-15m)
Habitat: Open water interiors and
exterior of reef
Occurrence : Common at the coast
of Veraval between March and May
Food source : Plankton
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Physical
description & characteristics
They are enormous creatures that can grow up to 50
feet (15m) in length and are found in waters along
the equator. A whale shark can grow as long as 18
meters or the height of a 5 storey building ! They
are reported to visit the shores of Gujarat between
November and April each year along with large schools
of sardine, tuna, mackerel and others. They seem to
prefer waters with 21 – 26 degree centigrade
surface temperatures. These conditions also favor
growth of planktons and small fish that form a good
part of their diet. They are reported to live a hundred
years !
Survivors from a ‘lost world’
?
With a pre-historic look (complete with dinosaur-like
ridges, spots and stripes) and its gigantic body,
they seem to belong to a different time and age. Little
knowledge about them makes them more mysterious and
fascinating to humans. Yet, snorkelers and divers
report them to be very docile and gentle creatures
that undertake huge migrations. They breed in the
Indian Ocean and then drift south in the Mozambique
current around Cape Horn into the Atlantic, where
they might be carried across the Atlantic towards
the Caribbean.
Hunting,
the sad reality
Though the presence of this rare and elusive creature
should be a matter of great pride and joy for the
locals, the almost complete lack of awareness about
the fish has never made that possible. Ironical as
it might be, these sharks, after traveling several
thousand miles, are actually killed in a barbaric
manner on these very coasts. Fishermen get them ashore,
with their mouths tied and their bodies chopped, and
leave them to for a slow, painful death. The fish
is slaughtered for its meat that is exported to South
East Asian countries where it is savored as a great
delicacy in swanky restaurants. Besides food, the
other reasons for which the whale shark is hunted
are liver oil extraction, pharmaceutical purposes,
leather industry and ornamental uses.
Whale sharks, ranging from 4 m to 12 m in length,
or 2–8 tonnes weight, are harpooned and hauled
by boat for up to 8–10 hours until the animal
is exhausted or the fishermen abandon the fish. The
shark is then towed to the shore where it is cut up
in shallow water, dried or frozen and dispatched.
The fisheries are particularly at work between March
to April and at Veraval and Okha, on the coasts of
Gujarat, a major maritime state in India with the
longest coastline (1,640 km) and widest continental
shelf (36% of India’s continental shelf area).
Trade
According to a trade report conducted by TRAFFIC India
in 2001 on the coast of Gujarat, each whale shark
sells between Rs. 40,000 to Rs, 1,50,000. Its fins,
meat, liver, cartilage, skin, viscera and teeth are
sold separately. The separation of parts and removal
of liver and other body parts is done at Veraval while
its neighboring townships, like Okha and Dhamlej,
are involved in its transport etc.
Regulation
Reported from only 100 odd countries, whale shark
fishing is banned in a few countries like the Philippines,
Maldives etc. As of now, there are no international
regulations to protect the species even though it
is included in the IUCN Red List (2000) as vulnerable
and is listed as a “species under threat”.
Due to lack of evidence of threats and absence of
data, it could not be included in the CITES. It is
included in United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea (UNCLOS) as a highly migratory species.
The Government has banned fishing and trade of the
whale shark in May 2001 by placing the endangered
fish in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act,
thereby granting it highest legal protection. Prior
to this, most states based their local laws on the
Indian Fisheries Act of 1987 that protects fish in
certain areas by prohibiting some activities like
use of dynamite and poison. The Wildlife (Protection)
Act, 1972 does not exclusively identify the Whale
Shark or any other species of marine fish for protection.
The
looming danger.
What makes the situation particularly grim is that
the whale shark reproduces very slowly (it reaches
sexual maturity by 30 years), deliver a small number
of young and is an endangered apex predator of the
ocean. The disappearance of this creature could completely
wreck the ecological balance and the eco-chain of
the marine world. If steps are not taken urgently
to control the situation, the damage could be irreparable
and permanent.
Help us spread awareness about this annual
visitor. Teach children about this fish and inculcate
a sense of pride in them for this awesome creature.
Write to the Chief Wildlife Warden of Gujarat to show
your concern for the Whale Shark and urge him to make
every effort to put an end to the Whale Shark trade.
Address of the Chief Wildlife Warden, Gujarat
:
Block No.14, 1st floor
Dr. Jivraj Mehta Bhavan
Old Sanchivalaya
Gandhi nagar - 382 010
Gujarat
WTI's Whale Shark campaign is supported by :
