Mangrol, December 11, 2015: Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in partnership with Gujarat Forest Department and Tata Chemicals celebrated the Gujarat Whale Shark Day with much gusto in the coastal town of Mangrol in Gujarat on December 11, 2015. The day saw a huge rally wherein more than 300 students from three different schools walked the streets of this small fishing town chanting the message of ‘Save the Whale Shark’. The rally was followed by a play, dance performance by students and distribution of cheques worth Rs 1.2 lakh to the fishermen who have cut their nets to rescue the whale sharks under the self-documentation scheme started by WTI, Gujarat Forest Department and Tata Chemicals.

The day started with students from three schools walking the streets of Mangrol shouting slogans and carrying banners with the message of saving the whale shark. The rally was successful in reaching out to Mangrol’s fishing community who were keen to enquire about the purpose of the rally. Many from the community followed the students to the venue where the programme was being organised. Teachers and students of all age groups actively participated in the rally.

The rally ended at the community hall where the rest of the ceremony had been planned. Along with the students and teachers, the closing ceremony saw the participation of locals and Forest Department officials too.. Ms Raj Sandeep, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) was the chief guest while scientists, researchers, community leaders, custom officials, representatives from Tata Chemicals and WTI joined her on the podium. The guests were presented mementos by the Forest Department which was followed by lamp lighting ceremony.

Thereafter, artists from Ahmedabad staged the play — ‘Vhali – re-vhali, whale shark amari’ — that had the audience hooked. The moving performance by the artists had the audience choking with emotions. It was followed by a beautiful dance performance by students dressed as whale shark that kept the mood upbeat.

Thanking the Forest Department and Tata Chemicals for their continued support, Sajan John, Head, West Coast Marine Conservation Project, WTI, stressed that credit for the immense success of the project goes to the fisher folk who have gone out of their way in protecting these gentle giants. He said, “In the coming years, we want support for whale sharks and even for Whale Shark Day from all stakeholders so that it sets a precedent across the country on how one species can be saved. And, to do that we need continuous involvement from the fishing community who till now have been more than helpful.”

He informed the crowd that the success of Gujarat will now be replicated in other states on the West Coast. “Wherever we are going, we are telling the stakeholders that we want to adopt and implement the Gujarat model here. It should be a matter of great pride for all of you that this Gujarat model is being implemented in other parts of India,” he said.

Thereafter Veljibhai Masani, fishing community leader, Mangrol, spoke about the need to conserve fish, especially whale sharks. “Whale shark should not become dinosaurs who cannot be seen in real life. While dinosaurs died naturally, we could be the reason for whale shark’s disappearance. Our future generations should be able to see live whale shark swimming in the sea and not some fabricated structure kept in museums,” he said. His words made an impression with the local fishermen who nodded in approval.

His speech was followed by the cheque distribution ceremony wherein cheques were handed over to fishermen who had cut their nets to free the whale shark. Cheques worth Rs 1.2 lakh were distributed amongst the fishermen. At last, Raj Sandeep, DCF, spoke and said, “Conservation of life both on land and in water is of utmost importance because our future and livelihoods depend on it. If whale sharks cease to exist then the whole balance of nature would be disturbed. I would like to reiterate my point that without the support of the community, this would have not have been possible.”

In February, 2007, the government of Gujarat had declared Kartik Amawas as the official ‘Whale Shark Day’ or ‘Vhali Utsav’ in view of the popular sentiment about the fish, generated by WTI’s successful whale shark campaign. WTI along with TCL and the Gujarat Forest Department started the Whale Shark Campaign to make school children and the citizens of the state aware of the importance of whale shark and other forms of marine life.

Formally launched in November 2008, the Whale Shark Conservation Project attempts to generate baseline data on the whale shark to aid its long-term conservation in India. A joint venture of the Gujarat Forest Department, TCL and WTI, the project activities involve scientific studies of whale sharks through photo-identification, genetic analysis and satellite tagging.