Veraval, 2nd December 2024: Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), in collaboration with the Gujarat Forest Department and Tata Chemicals Ltd. (TCL) celebrated the 18th Gujarat Whale Shark Day at the College of Fisheries Science in Veraval, Gujarat. The event brought together 350 participants, including prominent representatives from the project’s partner organisations.

Celebrated on the lunar calendar as ‘Kartak–Vad–Amavas’ (new moon day in the Hindu month of Kartak), the Gujarat Whale Shark Day was proclaimed by the former Forest Minister of Gujarat, Shri. Mangubhai Patel, in 2007.

The event underscored a collective commitment to protecting these gentle giants and preserving our marine ecosystems | Photo by Team WTI

Among the distinguished attendees were Dr. K. Ramesh, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forests; Mr. Mukesh Solanki, Senior Manager-CSR, Tata Chemicals Ltd., Mithapur; and Mr. B.M. Praveen Kumar from WTI, Mr. Tulsibhai Gohel, a respected leader of the fishing community; Mr. Ankit Kumar Mishra, Assistant Commandant, Indian Coast Guard Station; Mr. V.K. Gohil, Assistant Director of Fisheries, Gujarat Fisheries Department, Veraval; and Dr. A.N. Sayani, representing the Dean of the College of Fisheries.

The event was chaired by Dr. K. Ramesh, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forests at Junagadh Forest Circle and represented by project partners from WTI, TCL and the fisher community. Students from Choksi Collage of Veraval performed a skit titled ‘Safe Rescue of Whale Shark’, demonstrating the process of rescuing entangled whale sharks, claiming net loss compensation and emphasising the role of community and project implementing institutions in offshore whale shark conservation. This skit performance also delivered a message about plastic pollution in the ocean.

During the event, experts also discussed the use of technology to save whale sharks, including the ‘Vhali Watcher’ mobile application as a tool to document and report the rescue of accidentally netted whale sharks as a part of WTI’s well-established rescue system of ‘Self Documentation Scheme’.

Students performing a skit demonstrating the process of rescuing entangled whale sharks | Photo by Team WTI

In his speech, Dr. K. Ramesh, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forests, Junagadh Forest Circle stated that a remarkable co-management partnership is represented by the whale shark conservation initiative in Gujarat, bringing together the Forest Department, WTI, the spiritual leader Morari Bapu, the fishing community, and corporate stakeholders such as TCL. In 2014, the India Biodiversity Award was given to the Save the Whale Shark Project for this initiative.

Mr. Mukesh Solanki, Senior Manager, TCSRD, Tata Chemicals Ltd, expressed, that the fishing communities of Gujarat have embraced a sense of ownership and demonstrated their commitment to protecting these globally endangered gentle giants within their waters. Emphasising the importance of passing this stewardship from one generation to the next, he added that Tata Chemicals Ltd. is proud to contribute to this globally recognized conservation initiative.

Mr. Farukhkha Bloch, Project Manager & Head, WTI, took the opportunity to acknowledge the collective efforts behind the success of whale shark conservation. He highlighted the pivotal role of filmmaker Mike Pandey in raising awareness about the issue, the influential social appeal made by spiritual leader Morari Bapu, and the invaluable contributions of both current and former Forest Department officials. He also expressed gratitude to TCL media partners, fishing communities, researchers, students, and all others who have been instrumental in this conservation journey.

The Gujarat Whale Shark campaign was launched in 2004 by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Gujarat Forest Department with the support of Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to build awareness of its protected status and illegal killings among the local fishing community in order to stop the killings and to urge the general public of Gujarat to protect it.