International Whale Shark Day
Source: DTE
GS III: Environment and Conservation
What is discussed under International Whale Shark Day?
- History of International Whale Shark Day
- Reasons Behind Whale Shark Extinction
- What is the Save the Whale Campaign?
Why in News?
The ‘Save the Whale Shark Campaign’ in Karnataka, Kerala, and Lakshadweep was started in Mangaluru on August 30, 2022, by the Delhi-based nonprofit Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
History of International Whale Shark Day
- International Whale Shark Day started celebrating in 2012.
- The fish is listed as a Schedule I animal under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
- In 2016 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) downgraded the whale shark from a vulnerable to an endangered species.
- The objective is to increase public awareness of how whales have been targeted for their highly sought-after fins and flesh.
- There may only be a few tens of thousands of these sharks in existence worldwide, according to some estimates.
Reasons Behind Whale Shark Extinction
- Hunting
- Colliding with boats and getting trapped in fishing gear
- The demand for the products from parts of whale sharks
- Consuming plastic by whales
What is the Save the Whale Campaign?
- The primary objective of this initiative is to eliminate whale sharks accidental catch in fishing nets via voluntary whale shark release.
- The marine fishermen in Karnataka and Kerala, as well as on the island of Lakshadweep, are the focus of this programme.
Aim
- The campaign intends to unite maritime fishermen, rural communities, and students to raise awareness of whale shark protection.
- To encourage fishermen to release the whale sharks and lessen their unintentional entrapment in fishing nets.
- For further conservation efforts, a smartphone application has been created to record whale shark sightings and rescues.
- To spread awareness about the importance of whale sharks and their conservation.
Whale Shark
- The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish on Earth and a keystone species in marine ecosystems.
- It can grow to a length of approximately 18 metres and weigh as much as 21 tonnes.
- They can live for up to 70 years.
- Tropical oceans all across the world are the whale shark’s natural environment.
- Although they are carnivores, whale sharks have teeth that are barely 6 mm long.
- Whale sharks each have a unique skin pattern like human fingerprints.
- They are ovoviviparous, which means they give birth to live young instead of laying eggs.
- They can become sexually mature at about age 10.
Habitat in India
- Despite being widely distributed throughout tropical and warm temperate seas, little is known about the population trends of this species, particularly along the Indian coastline.
- Whale Shark is a migratory guest in Indian coastal waters, traveling thousands of kilometres from Australia and South East Asia.
- The Indian coast is home to several whale sharks.
- However, the Gujarat coast is home to the greatest whale shark gathering.
- WTI found that the highest number of Whale Shark sightings, after Gujarat coast, were near the waters of Lakshadweep.
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