One of India’s most successful and internationally-acclaimed conservation projects, the whale shark campaign is a collaboration of Wildlife Trust of India, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Tata Chemicals Limited and Gujarat Forest Department. The campaign was initiated in January 2004 to spread awareness, educate and change perceptions about the world’s largest fish among specific target groups in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

Whale sharks are the world's largest fish and were slaughtered in large numbers on the Gujarat coast until the species was listed under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (under sub section (1) of section 61) on 28th May 2001. The effectiveness of the Whale shark campaign in Gujarat has proven to be outstanding, as the turnaround period for this brutally hunted species has come within the first 4 years of the campaign's initiation; 56 trapped whale sharks have been voluntarily released by fishermen since the start of the campaign. 

Whale shark campaign leads to 56 releases

In a function that marked a critical watershed in the protection of whale sharks on Indian shores, on July 5, 2008, in Veraval, the Gujarat forest department acknowledged the release of 56 whale sharks since the start of the Whale Shark Campaign in 2004; and compensated boat owners up to Rs.25000 each for nets damaged during these releases. This campaign was initiated and executed by the Wildlife Trust of India along the Gujarat coast with the support of the International Fund for Animal Welfare- IFAW, Gujarat Forest Department, Tata Chemicals and the Coast Guard.

"It would normally take about 10 years for the conservation of a commercially exploited species to kick in, but here we have managed to cut through time and limited resources to activate a response in 4 years on the strength of the concept of the campaign. It was a combination of key ideas - we provided information on the species, created a flagship with the lifesize whale shark inflatable that drew people wherever it was taken, the spiritual ambassador   Morari Bapu connected emotionally to the traditional and cultural ethics of local people and fishing communities, a huge groundswell of response was generated from young people and schoolchildren and the effect of the campaign was consistently and professionally surveyed to measure its outcome. Today all of us who collaborated on this effort can finally hope that whale sharks in India are in safe waters..." said Vivek Menon, Executive Director, Wildlife Trust of India.  

The 1st International Whale Shark Conference in Perth was attended by Vivek Talwar of Tata Chemicals Limited and Dhiresh Joshi of WTI, a presentation on the campaign was made.

Vivek Menon attended the 2nd International Whale Shark Conference in Mexico, 15-20 July 2008, as a delegate. He interacted with other delegates and participants from all over the world and presented the ideas and images of this highly successful campaign to them. The details of the campaign were received very well at both these gatherings.

Whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean and can grow up to 45 feet in length. In India they are found most frequently in the Arabian Sea along the shores of Gujarat in western India. Unfortunately here it was hunted in hundreds for its liver oil to water proof boats and also for its meat, which was exported.  In 2000-2001, over 500 whale sharks were estimated to have been massacred along the Gujarat coast.

Few people, other than the fishermen who hunted it, even knew that whale sharks existed in Gujarat waters. Whale sharks were called 'barrel' here, as empty barrels were used as floaters to mark and capture them after harpooning.

Each hunted whale shark brought fishermen USD 1125 – 2250, making it a lucrative catch. Legal until 2001, whale shark hunting was banned after it became the first fish to be listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, under sub section (1) of section 61, on 28th May 2001. This protection and ban was initiated by a documentary film, "Shores of Silence" by Mike Pandey that brought to light the brutal slaughter of the fish in western India. The following year, persistent efforts by India and Philippines got the whale shark placed under Appendix II of the CITES.
However, the whale shark remained vulnerable on these shores. A TNS survey done indicated low awareness of this hunted species and prompted the need for a campaign among the fishing community and other stake holders to conserve these ‘gentle giants’ and ensure their longer term survival. 
 

Collaborations

The Whale Shark Campaign was jointly launched in January 2004 by Wildlife Trust of India, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Tata Chemicals Limited and Gujarat Forest Department (it was initially also supported by Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Limited), to spread awareness, educate and change perceptions about the fish among specific target groups in the region.

It is the collaboration and support of various stakeholders that has led to the success of the Whale Shark Campaign and positioned it for the next stage of scientific monitoring.  A special thanks is owed to Morari Bapu, the Coast Guard, local fishing communities, schools, and the WTI team.

Key Concepts

Campaign Ambassador: The campaign, a rare joint venture between NGOs, corporates and government, chose Morari Bapu, a popular spiritual leader to endorse its cause. He then appealed to the people to save the whale shark on emotional and socio-cultural grounds. 

Emotional  connection: Reports of young pups in the waters of Gujarat, suggested that whale sharks breed here. Morari Bapu famous for his spiritual lectures, ingeniously equated the whale shark to a daughter of Gujarat.  He called it 'Vhali' or 'dear one' and likened it to a pregnant daughter who returns to her parents' home to give birth to her child; a custom practiced in many parts of India and specially in Gujarat. This drew a huge response from the people. 

Leveraging of Socio-cultural beliefs : The campaign strategy also leveraged Indian traditional and cultural ethics of 'Ahimsa' (non-violence) and 'Atithi Devo Bhava' (Guest is God). This was publicized through street plays put up in fishing villages and towns.

Children and youth for groundswell response : Thousands of school children and young people were involved in the campaign across Gujarat. There were rallies, marches, painting competitions and exhibitions. This helped create a tremendous groundswell response.

Creation of a Flagship :A life size inflatable model of the whale shark played a very important role in creating an immensely popular flagship out of an animal that was mercilessly hunted earlier.

The voluntary release of 56 whale sharks recorded in Gujarat is a great victory for the campaign. Its successful outcome has also been validated by surveys carried out among the target populations of the campaign.

Now the whale shark, known earlier only to hunters as ‘barrel’ has become a protected flagship species known as ‘Vhali’ – the dear one; the campaign has established the whale shark as the second pride of Gujarat, the other being the world’s last population of Asiatic lions.  

To take this effort further the whale shark conservation project is due to be launched shortly, in collaboration with Tata Chemicals Ltd, Gujarat State Forest Department, the National Institute of Oceanography, stake holders and other experts, national and international.

The conservation project aims to study the following: