4 December 2021, Veraval: The Kharwa Cricket Club (KCC) Ground came alive today when partners of the Gujarat Whale Shark Conservation Project celebrated the 15^th Gujarat Whale Shark Day with local communities. This annual commemorative day Kartak Vad Amavas (new moon day in the Hindu calendar month of Kartik) was first declared by the Gujarat State Government as the Gujarat Whale Shark Day in 2007.

The event aims at congratulating the fishing community in successfully conserving and saving the world’s largest fish and for also being a role model for the rest of the world in community led conservation efforts. The event is also a means to further spread the message of whale shark conservation to the masses while providing a platform to bring together all the stake holders involved, including young students of coastal schools and locals in celebrating this gentle giant.

Dance Performance by students of Choksi College of Veraval – Photo by Karan Cholera

A video byte from Shri. Morari Bapu, Gujarat’s popular spiritual leader who spearheaded the whale shark campaign messaging to change mindsets from 2004, urging the masses to continue their conservation efforts and congratulating the fishing community, state forest department and the partner organisations involved, was played to launch the event. A welcome note was presented by Mr. Vivek Menon, Founder & ED, Wildlife Trust of India where he congratulated all the stakeholders involved in the conservation project.

More than 150 students from three schools and a college and 150 fishermen from four maritime towns took part in this year’s event. It was chaired by the District Collector Shri. R. G. Gohil, IAS and was presided over by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Shri. Shyamal Tikadar, IFS, Dy. Commanding Officer of the Indian Coast Guard Com. Vikas Pillai, Chief Conservator of Forests Shri. D.T. Vasavada, IFS, Dy. Conservator of Forests Shri. Sunil Kumar Berwal, IFS, Senior Manager, CSR, TCL and Honorary Secretary, TCSRD Shri. Prantik Sarkar, Asst. General Manager, Indian Rayons Shri. Ramkumar Sharma and President, Boat Owners Association of Veraval Shri. Tulsibhai Gohil.

A dance performance by students of Choksi College of Veraval, outlining the conservation significance of whale sharks with a message to further conserve and save the species was followed by a skit, demonstrating the process to claim compensation after successful release of an entangled whale shark. The model of a street play in the local language combined with messaging by Shri Morari Bapu was immensely successful to sensitise the target groups on the legal status of the whale shark and implications on illegal hunting.

PCCF and CWLW of Gujarat, Shri. Shyamal Tikadar, IFS also congratulated the fishing community in achieving the mammoth task of conserving the world’s largest fish. He further said that it is very important to understand the migration of whale sharks to better implement the conservation and management plans of the species.

Welcome address by Shri Morari Bapu – Photo by Karan Cholera

Several stalls were set up by WTI, TCL, Gujarat Forest Department, Friends of Whale Shark (community led volunteer group), Indian Rayon and ­Choksi college of Veraval to showcase the various conservation and scientific interventions and the milestones achieved by the respective organisations and the project as a whole.

The Whale Shark conservation project in Gujarat is a unique example in marine wildlife conservation with active participation by fishermen community of Gujarat, who once brutally hunted and slaughtered whale sharks on an extensive scale due to lack of legal protection and awareness, until 2001. Once hunters, these fishermen have now been turned protectors and claim immense pride in saving the whale sharks.

Skit Performance by students of Choksi College of Veraval – Photo by Karan Cholera

WTI’s Whale Shark Campaign was launched in 2004 as a partnership with Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL) and Gujarat Forest Department to build awareness on the protected status of the species and change mindsets of hunters. Since the campaign, not a single whale shark has been intentionally killed by fishers. In fact, fishermen have voluntarily rescued and released till date 835 accidentally entangled whale sharks from fishing nets. The campaign has since then evolved into a large scale project involving science and rescues and has potential to extend its geographical reach along the coast of India.

Click here to know more about the project.