After two months into WTI’s ‘Save The Whale Shark Campaign’ in Kerala, the campaign team is proud to announce two whale shark rescues in a span of a week in December. On December 15, local fishermen rescued a 25- to 30-foot female whale shark in Adimalathura Beach. This was followed by another rescue and release on December 21st . Where the fishers of Poonthura, Thiruvananthapuram, rescued and released an accidentally entangled whale shark around 2 km from the shore.

Whale Shark Rescue in Trivandrum Coast (Poonthura) | Photo by Charan K Paidi/WTI

Both whale sharks were brought to the shore due to the local fishing practice (shore seine-haul fishing). Shore seine fishing, a technique of encircling a large area with nets hanging vertically in the water held down by weights while the top edge is buoyed by floats is the most commonly used fishing practice along the Kerala shoreline. Here large shoals are encircled and net towed at a higher speed to minimize fish escape.

The fishers alerted the Whale Shark on-ground WTI team members, who reached the spot and assisted the fishers in cutting the net and carefully releasing the fish back into the open sea. Both rescues took place shortly after the sensitization sessions by WTI’s Save the Whale Shark campaign project.

Wildlife Trust of India has been working with local fishers, the Forest Department, Fisheries Department across the states of Kerala and Karnataka to save the world’s largest fish. The filter-feeding whale sharks migrate across the tropical and warm temperate seas and are regular visitors along the Indian coastline. Unregulated fishing practices, collision, and extensive coastal pollution are major threats to Whale Sharks. The global status of the Whale Shark population is “Endangered” and conservation measures are needed to reduce threats. As a part of the campaign, WTI has been sensitising fishers about the importance of the Whale Shark, the threats they face, and its conservation needs.

The rescued shark being pushed into the ocean by rescuers | Photo by Charan K Paidi/WTI

Over a period of six months, around 15000 fishers have been sensitised across the west coast. As a part of this conservation project, a mobile application has been developed for a database on Whale Shark entanglement and release. During the sensitisation sessions, the fishers are trained to use the application in case they encounter sightings or accidental entanglement. The accidentally entangled whale sharks can be only released by cutting the fishing nets. The loss of a net also means the fisher cannot set out to sea for a certain period of time until it is replaced or repaired. To acknowledge the conservation heroes who have come forward and prioritized the importance of the fish over the catch, WTI and Forest Department will felicitate and extend a token amount as a part of the project’s rescue relief fund. The project aims to provide a safer home to the species along India’s vast coastline. Conservation efforts cannot be possible without community initiative. Conservation measures can only be succeeded when the communities come together and form a fruitful partnership. The voluntary release of whale sharks is unwavering proof of perspective change and an indication of a successful campaign.

Whale Shark rescue along the Adimalathura coast | Photo by Ajith Shanghumugham/WTI

The “Save the Whale Shark Campaign” along the coast of Kerala, Karnataka and Lakshadweep is supported by Oracle, the state forest and fisheries departments. The Kerala leg of the ‘Save The Whale Shark’ campaign was inaugurated on Oct 8th as part of the Kerala Forest Department’s Wildlife Week celebrations. Know more about the project here.