Conservation
Whale sharks, like all sharks, mature slowly and reproduce infrequently. This coupled with the fact that they are placid filter feeders and swim slowly close to the surface, makes them extremely vulnerable. The IUCN have categorised them as such, stating that they expect a worldwide population decrease of twenty - fifty percent in the next one hundred years.
MWSRP's main aim is to further develop the whale shark orientated Marine Protected Area (MPA), announced on 5th June 2009 (World Envirnoment Day). The Southern tip of the South Ari Atoll is known globally as a whale shark hotspot. However, it differs from other whale shark aggregation sites because the sharks can be found here throughout the year. This is great from a tourists point of view but it means a different story for the sharks. Until the MWSRP's encounter guidelines were endorsed by the government boat traffic was completely unregulated. Evidence of this can be seen both above and below the surface of the water as the Maldivian whale sharks are amongst the most scarred in the world. Results from a scar survey comparison including the Seychelles, Ningaloo Reef (Australia), and Mozambique proved that the Maldivian whale shark population is by far the most scarred.
Globally sharks are being caught in huge numbers for their fins; the essential ingredient in shark fin soup, a traditional Chinese dish. Surprisingly, the huge fins belonging to whale sharks are deemed low quality and unsuitable for making soup, but instead they are highly prized as signboards in restaurants advertising shark fin soup, and can sell for thousands of US dollars on the Asian market.
The modern practise of fishing sharks is inherently unsustainable. Sharks are typically long lived animals which grow slowly and reproduce late, making them extremely vulnerable to over fishing. To make matters worse, most shark fisheries are completely unregulated or operate illegally. The Taiwanese whale shark fishery has experienced a plunge in the number of sharks being caught since the 1980s, with a decline of sixty - seventy percent in the last ten years, unfortunately a story all too common in shark fisheries around the world.
Whale sharks do receive national protection in many countries however, including India, the Philippines, Australia, Honduras, the USA and the Maldives. Many of these countries have recognised the economic value of preserving their whale sharks; it has been estimated that worldwide whale sharks generate US$ Fifty million annually through tourism. However, other scientists have reported a ninety six percent decrease in whale shark sightings, in relation to effort from 1991-2001 in the Andaman Sea despite protection under national legislation. Reports from Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia suggest a forty precent reduction in whale shark abundance and a decrease in average shark length of two metres over the last decade.
International protection was first introduced in 1999, when the whale shark was listed on Appendix II of the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS). In 2003 it was also included on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that trade in whale shark products is now strictly regulated. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2006 has made an assessment of five hundred and forty seven sharks and related species, and twenty percent are listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable. The whale shark has been classed in this latter category meaning it is considered to be threatened with extinction in the future.
Since 1995 it has been illegal to catch whale sharks in the Maldives, but their greatest threat now probably comes from boat strikes, sometimes caused through irresponsible tour operations. Whale sharks spend much of their time near the surface, and many show severe scarring across the body caused by boat propeller. Some are often missing the tip, or in some extreme examples, the entire upper lobe of their tail. The MWSRP has supported the Maldivian government and industry stakeholders in the creation of national legislative Encounter Guidelines for whale shark tourism, similar to the system already in place at other Whale Shark hotspots. The next significant stage in protecting whale sharks in the Maldives is the development of protected whale shark areas.
Through the development of the Marine Protected Area other eco-tourism and education initiatives will be developed. An Eco-facility utilising Solar energy, and the harvesting of rain water, and to be built using re-cycled materials will provide a visitor centre, offices, a laboratory, a workshop and accomodation for staff and visiting scientists and teachers at the same time as leading by example in utilising resources that are abundant in the Maldives. A Foreign exchange programme has now been set in motion and has excited Island Chiefs, School Headmasters, and their students.