By Sheren Shrestha

Dwarka (Gujarat): Hundreds of school children and fishermen among other local people gathered today in the Sunset Point ground, Dwarka in the western Indian state of Gujarat, for a unique annual celebration – the Whale Shark Day.

The event was chaired by Hon’ble Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Shri Kiritsinh Rana. The celebrations also saw a participation from Indian and international marine experts, government officials and conservationists, who are collaborating on an unprecedented scientific study of whale sharks and their habitat in Gujarat.

An honour received by no other species in India including the tiger, the day dedicated exclusively to the whale shark is an outcome of the widely-acclaimed Whale Shark Campaign. A joint venture of the Gujarat Forest Department and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), supported by Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and with active participation of the fishing community and coast guard among others, the campaign helped convert the species- formerly hunted in large numbers along Gujarat’s coast- into a state icon and pride.

“Whale shark has become our coastal pride. It has to be seen to believed how it has changed the lives of people in a short time. The Gujarati fishing community have been extraordinarily cooperative. This friendly fish has to be made a popular friend among fisherfolks along the entire Indian coast where the whale shark is found” said Dr SK Nanda, Principal Secretary, Environment and Forests, Government of Gujarat.

Whale sharks were hunted mainly for the liver oil used to waterproof boats. In 2000-2001, about 500 individuals were estimated killed in Gujarat. With the meat being exported, each hunted whale shark brought the fishermen about USD 1125-2250. Yet, since the launch of the campaign in 2004, the Gujarati fishing community began rescue and release of whale sharks accidentally trapped in their nets- an absolute evidence to their commitment to whale shark conservation.

“The whale shark campaign is a kind of people’s movement with perhaps no precedent. It united people from diverse backgrounds – fishing communities, school children, government, NGOs, corporates, coast guard, fisheries department, scientists and a popular spiritual leader – to speak out and act for the conservation of a species whose existence, until very recently, was known to very few. This unity is a landmark in itself, but what is more significant is the outcome of this unity – that whale sharks now have a safe home in Gujarat forever,” said Aniruddha Mookerjee, Senior Director, WTI.

The celebrations today began with a colourful rally by school children donning campaign t-shirts and sunvisors, waving whale shark flags and chanting slogans for whale shark. The rally was led by the life size whale shark inflatable- the campaign mascot that helps draw attention to the cause wherever displayed.

“We are the whale shark army! We are here to save this fish because it is hunted for its liver oil. Save the whale shark!!!,” cheered students of Mithapur High School at the rally.

A streetplay spreading Shri Morari Bapu’s message associating the presence of whale shark to a daughter coming home to give birth, was re-enacted. The basis of this association was the reports of sightings of young whale shark pups along Gujarat coast suggesting that the species breeds here.

Speaking on the occasion, BN Srivastava, Chief Wildlife Warden, Gujarat Forest Department, said, “We executed the campaign in collaboration with WTI and TCL and the campaign has now reached a stage which makes us proud. Now we are trying to study the whale sharks using satellite tags and other scientific procedures. WTI organised a meeting of Indian and international marine and whale shark experts, who will advise us on the implementation of the project.”

“We will try and smoothen out the compensation scheme for quick relief for the fishing community,” he added, talking of the scheme initiated by the Forest Department as a relief to fishermen who incur losses during whale shark rescues. A maximum compensation of 25,000 Indian rupees is provided to fishermen who cut open their nets to free trapped whale sharks.

The trend of whale shark release in Gujarat has not been limited to the species alone. Other species including an accidentally-trapped humpback whale have been similarly released by the Gujarati fisherfolks.

Satish Anand, Corporate HR and Corporate Affairs, Chemicals Business and Consumer Products Business, TCL, said, “Tata Chemicals has a long history of social initiatives that touch upon the lives of the people and community where we operate our business. We strongly believe in working closely with the people and not just the people but also believe that the natural surroundings should benefit from the various initiatives undertaken. Since its inception, the Whale Shark Conservation Project has grown in leaps and bounds and people’s support reflects in Whale Sharks that have been saved till date and we are proud of achieving this unique milestone. We, at Tata Chemicals are committed to the support the flora, fauna and the wildlife species and will take our best step forward in conserving the nature and its rare mammals in years to come.”

The whale shark was placed under schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, on May 28, 2001, following the award-winning documentary ‘Shores of Silence’ by Mike Pandey. However, despite the legal protection, ground realities indicated persistent threats to the species from its commercial exploitation as a result of low awareness levels.

The campaign was initiated to spread awareness, educate and change perceptions about the world’s largest fish among specific target groups in Gujarat in western India. The campaign was a combination of several key ideas – effective dissemination of information on the species, creation of a flagship using the lifesize whale shark inflatable, emotional connection to the tradition and cultural ethics of local people and fishing communities by the spiritual leader Morari Bapu, and a huge groundswell of response generated from young people and schoolchildren.

Within a year of its launch, the campaign successfully converted former whale shark hunters into its protectors, convincing them to voluntarily release accidentally-trapped whale sharks from their fishing nets. The government’s initiative to compensate fishermen for the loss of their nets, which is almost always unavoidable in such rescues, helped strengthen the effort.