Ahmedabad: A 28-foot whale shark tagged with a tracker in December accomplished a 4,000-kilometre journey throughout the Arabian Sea over 100 days and circled again to the place to begin off the Gujarat coast, folks acquainted with the matter stated.
The whale shark was satellite-tagged and launched by the Wildlife Belief of India (WTI) in a collaborative operation with the Gujarat Forest Division. (WTI Picture)
The whale shark, rescued from a fishing internet, was satellite-tagged and launched by the Wildlife Belief of India (WTI) in a collaborative operation with the Gujarat Forest Division.
It moved alongside India’s western shoreline, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala earlier than reaching the Lakshadweep Islands, the place it spent every week. The whale shark subsequent ventured 700 kilometres from the Maharashtra coast to succeed in the Gulf of Oman, approached close to Karachi, and finally returned to Veraval on April 4.
“This is the first time a whale shark tagged in India has returned to the coast. This supports our long-held theory that whale sharks in this region are residents of the Arabian Sea,” BC Choudhury, principal investigator of Aquatic Tasks at WTI.
Monitoring the whale shark(WTI Picture)
Researchers stated the whale shark’s return to the Gujarat coast helps the concept that there was a novel group of whale sharks within the Arabian Sea.
“Previous tissue samples and genetic studies had suggested that whale sharks along the Indian coast may belong to a distinct group, and this tagged individual’s homecoming adds weight to that theory,” he added.
Choudhury stated they wanted to tag some extra whale sharks for an extended period earlier than they may attain a agency conclusion. “The whale sharks are breeding and aggregating off the Gujarat coast near Veraval, migrating and breeding exclusively in the Arabian Sea. We need more oceanographic data. For instance, we need to know why they come up to the sea’s surface near Veraval. Is it due to the temperature?” in response to Choudhury.
He added that whereas whale sharks are recognized for long-distance migrations, the affirmation of a definite regional group raises necessary conservation issues.
“If there is only one such population in this part of the ocean, it becomes more vulnerable to local extinction,” he stated.
“Just as the pride of lions in Gir is protected to preserve that endemic lineage, this whale shark population in the Arabian Sea must be treated with similar care, as it may not be found elsewhere in the same genetic form.”
Jaipal Singh, principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife), Gujarat, stated the newest tagging confirmed that whale sharks have discovered a haven alongside the state’s coast. Singh stated near 1,000 whale sharks have been saved alongside the shoreline, a pointy distinction to the state of affairs until the Nineteen Nineties when whale sharks, the world’s largest fish, had been killed for his or her fins and oil.
Mike Pandey’s 2000 documentary, Shores of Silence: Whale Sharks in India, uncovered this disaster, successful the Wildscreen Panda Award and prompting motion. In 2001, India listed whale sharks beneath Schedule I of the Wildlife (Safety) Act, 1972, banning searching.
Gujarat’s forest division together with WTI and Tata Chemical substances, launched the Save the Whale Shark Marketing campaign in 2004. Greater than 950 whale sharks have been saved in Gujarat and the mission, thought of a mannequin in community-led conservation, has since then been expanded to Kerala and Lakshadweep.
A analysis examine revealed in Frontiers in Marine Science on July 6, 2021, carried out by marine researchers from India and Australia, together with researchers from WTI, tracked eight whale sharks off Gujarat from 2011 to 2017. Most of them remained close to the Gujarat and Maharashtra coast, whereas two moved into the Arabian Sea, following frontal zones with sea floor temperatures of 24–29°C for environment friendly plankton foraging.
“The satellite tracking reveals these whale sharks, while part of the broader Indo-Pacific population, remain largely within the Arabian Sea, moving between the African coast in the west and the Indian coast in the east,” stated Sajan John, head of WTI’s Marine Tasks.
He stated that the return to the tagging location signifies the location constancy of the whale shark. “Since whale sharks visiting the Gujarat coast exhibit site fidelity, it is very important to conserve these whale sharks because loss of these individuals over time period will be very detrimental,” he stated.
John stated the geo-spatial migration within the context of the ocean floor temperature means that the whale shark prefers hotter waters within the vary of 25-30°C. “Further, correlation with the global distribution of phytoplankton suggests the route through areas with high distribution of planktons, the main food for whale sharks,” he added.