Australia is blessed with both an incredible terrestrial environment and a beautiful marine environment. One of the biggest (quite literally) tourist attractions in Western Australia is the opportunity to swim with whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) off the Ningaloo coast in Exmouth and Coral Bay. These magnificent creatures can reach a total length greater than 12 m (reports of up to 18 m), making them the worlds largest extant fish. Despite its immense size the species predominantly feeds on some of the smallest organisms in existence, plankton. The species is currently listed as Endangered (IUCN Redlist) and while protected in many parts of the globe, it is still hunted for its meat, fins for shark fin soup and oils (including for fish oil!).
Thankfully for us in Australia the species resides year-round in Ningaloo, with yearly congregations coinciding with coral spawning causing a boom in numbers between March and September. This is the peak tourist season for swimming with the whale sharks! We had the pleasure of undertaking one of these tours in 2017 with Coral Bay Eco Tours in which we managed to swim with not one, but two whale sharks (the picture at the top of the article is one we had the pleasure of taking during our swim). The tour was run exceptionally well and although they want everyone to get the best experience (which we did!), the welfare of the animals comes first. All swimmers were advised of required distances to remain from the animal prior to each swim and the tour guides and camera crew in the water with us ensured these were adhered to. I would highly recommend this tour and this company and can't wait to revisit again some day soon. Now how can swimming with the whale sharks benefit the species? Well aside from the obvious economical benefit from tourism - meaning the area and the species is more likely to be protected, photos taken by everyday people on these tours are also being used to help further understand these creatures. The whale shark citizen science project allows anyone, any where in the world, to upload photos of their encounters with whale sharks. Researchers then use technology similar to technology which studies the stars in the night sky, to identify individual whale sharks and store them into the database. Through being able to identify each individual through its unique patterning, researchers are able to unlock some of the secrets of the whale shark, such as habitat use, migration, growth rates etc. If you have had the pleasure of seeing a whale shark in the wild and managed to grab a photo alongside it, why not head over and submit your photo now to do your part in helping conserve these amazing creatures! Did you know? Although not as common in Australian waters, the second largest fish in the world, the basking shark, also adopts the method of filter feeding!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMy name is Garry and I am extremely passionate about the environment. I have completed my BSc. Conservation and Wildlife Biology with First Class Honours and have worked in the Environment sector since 2009. Archives
September 2019
Categories |
Photos used under Creative Commons from sean.kelleher1, BioDivLibrary, BioDivLibrary