Karwar, 16th January, 2023: To commemorate the 47^th Raising Day, Indian Coast Guard organized a rally in collaboration with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), Royal Enfield, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), NCC and Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK) on the 16^th of January, 2023. Themed on “Save our oceans- Save the whale sharks”, it was a step towards creating awareness for conserving, protecting and restoring the local marine ecosystem.

Coast guard personnel (inclusive of all ranks), members of WTI and representatives from IOCL, Royal Enfield and NCC members joined together for a bike rally along the Karwar coast.

Coast Guard Raising Day is observed on the 1^st February, every year, to appreciate and acknowledge the remarkable role played by the personnel in securing nation’s interests in the maritime zones. Supported by Royal Enfield and IOCL, this rally envisaged sensitizing members of the fishermen community and school & college students on the importance of oceans and the wildlife within, focusing on these whale shark, the largest fish in the ocean.

Raising Day 2023 Celebrations at Karwar Commercial Port, Karnataka | Photograph by Aditya

The bike rally was flagged off by the Deputy Commissioner, Shri. Prabhuling Kavalikatti IAS. He highlighted that “Marine environment needs to be protected, conserved and protected from many threats like illegal trading and pollution. To achieve the same, we all need to unite and work together”.

The team started the rally from Karwar Commercial Port and towards Bhatkal, led by Assistant Commandant, H G Manjunath and along the way, conducted multiple interaction sessions in 4 coastal colleges and 1 coastal school. Students participated enthusiastically and were eager to learn more about oceans and marine wildlife. The team also stopped at 4 different fishing harbors –  Belekkeri, Kasarkode, Bhatkal and Tadri, in presence of Costal security police and Fisheries Department, to spread the message of the campaign.

“Save the Whale Shark Campaign” Bike rally flagged off by Deputy Commissioner, Shri. Prabhuling Kavalikatti IAS | Photograph by Venkat Sai

A Beach clean-up session, under the theme, “SAVE OUR OCEANS, SAVE THE WHALE” was held early morning (Saturday) at Rabindranath Tagore Beach, Karwar by WTI to spread awareness on how plastic is big threat not only to marine biodiversity alone, but to the whole ecosystem. Dr. JL Rathod, Chairman of Department of Marine Biology (KUPG Centre Karwar), briefed the audience about how the western coastline is an important route for whale shark aggregation and breeding between Indian Ocean and Gujarat’s. He also urged participants to be more responsible with plastic. Mr. Farukhkha Bloch, representative from WTI, briefed about the Whale Shark Project and its success along the Gujarat coastline and explained the future perspectives of its conservation along the coast of Karnataka and Kerala.

Over 150 students from local government collegees, 100 NCC cadets, 50 officers from Indian Coast Guard and Police Department participated in the clean up drive.  A massive amount of waste close to 1300 kg was collected by the team, including single use plastic, Styrofoam, glass bottles and discarded ghost nets. The local municipal corporation vehicle helped collect all the waste that was packed in sacks and discarded safely.

The Clean-up Drive was introduced to the students to encourage adoption of ‘Green Practices’ like 3-R (Recycling, Reducing and Reusing) that can have a profound effect on waste management in the community. A clean- up drive brings about a sense of community and responsibility to keep our homes and common areas clean and hygienic.

According to Mr. Pramod Naik, RFO, Coastal and Marine Wing, in charge of coastal conservation, thanked and extended his support to WTI for “Whale shark conservation project. Karwar being a small coastal town loaded with rich Marine biodiversity, needs to be preserved and protected.”

Indian Coast Guard, Team WTI and NCC Cadets during the event | Photograph by Aditya

Mr. JG. H. T. Manjunath, Commandant, Indian Coast Guard Station, Karwar, also spoke to fishermen about the whale shark. As a commanding officer, he’s been to the east and west coasts and had observed the whale shark while on patrol. He explained how whale sharks, being tropical water creatures, usually prefer open waters. However, since the past few years, they’ve been migrating to the Gujarat coast for breeding. He stated that “fishermen need to cooperate with all stakeholder groups in this conservation action”. He thanked WTI for organizing this event, which helped them address the complications faced by fishermen, and he urged fishermen to follow the rules and cooperate to eliminate illegal fishing. Similarly, Dr. Shiva Kumar B. Hargi, Professor in KUPG Centre, Karwar, expressed about direct consequences humanity will face if conservation actions are not taken seriously. Being a Marine biologist and researcher he explained how accidental entanglement and fin trade is affecting marine ecosystem. Lastly, Mr. Ravindra N Talekar, Joint Director of Fisheries, Karwar, gave the keynote address from the fisheries department, where he stressed the problems of overfishing and the lack of awareness among the fishermen regarding conservation efforts by different stakeholder groups. He thanked WTI for conducting an awareness program for fishermen and giving them valuable insights on marine resources.

The event concluded with a formal vote of thanks by Mr. Bharat Kumar, Assistant Field Officer. The event aimed spreading informative message of conservation, preservation and protecting the marine ecosystem, which ultimately have a positive effect on ecosystem and assist the people to know the importance of marine biodiversity. Supported by Oracle, several such events have been planned in future along the Karnataka and Kerala coast.

Read more about the Save the Whale Shark Campaign here.