The Dorsal Fin

Photo courtesy of National Geographic. ©Michael Aw / National Geographic

The upcoming October 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine will feature the story “Sharing With Sharks,” which documents interactions between whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) and local fishermen off the island of New Guinea. The world’s largest species of shark is known to congregate in the area, where they have been observed searching for “free meals” either by pilfering a fisherman’s net or through voluntary hand-outs from the fishermen.

From National Geographic…

The giant fish is hard to study in part because it is hard to find and track. By tagging individual specimens, scientists have learned that whale sharks can log thousands of miles in years-long trips. But they sometimes disappear for weeks, diving more than a mile down and resting in the chilly deep for a spell. No one has ever found mating or birthing grounds.

Whale sharks are ordinarily loners. But not in one corner of Indonesia. The photographs on these pages, shot some eight miles off the province of Papua, reveal a group of sharks that call on fishermen each day, zipping by one another, looking for handouts near the surface, and nosing the nets—a rare instance when the generally docile fish act, well, like the rest of the sharks.

You can check out the entire online story at National Geographic’s "Sharing With Sharks". For more of Michael Aw’s photos taken on-location while working on this story, visit National Geographic’s accompanying "Sharing With Sharks" photo gallery.

"Sharing With Sharks" is featured in the October 2011 issue of National Geographic magazines, on newsstands September 27.

Kip Evan’s documentary, Isla Holbox – Whale Shark Island, was recently debuted at the 2010 San Francisco Ocean Film Festival. The film focuses on whale sharks and the effects they’ve had on Isla Holbox as a result of the ecotourism industry created by their presence around the island during the months of June through September. Evans hopes to send a message that whale sharks need to be protected throughout their migration regions, as opposed to just in small marine reserve areas such as Isla Holbox, according to the Ocean Film Fest blog.

Whale sharks: Swimming alongside one of the giants of the oceanic world, from the Press Register at Al.com, reports on the unprecedented numbers of whale sharks being spotted in the northern gulf only a few miles off the coast of Alabama. Ben Raines gives a detailed account of his time in the water with one of the whale sharks in the gulf. The experience lasted about 2 hours. Raines was accompanied by researcher Eric Hoffmayer, who tagged the whale shark during the encounter with a satellite tag to track the shark.

According to the article, Hoffmayer urges people to avoid touching the whale sharks, since it can trigger erratic movement from the whale sharks, which can put anyone around the shark in danger. While whale sharks are plankton feeders, and considered "gentle giants," the sheer size of them can result in injuries even by accidental contact. Hoffmayer encourages divers to keep a safe distance of 5 feet (1.5 meters) when swimming with the sharks. Raines also notes that it's probably a good idea to avoid swimming directly above whale sharks, as well, to avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time, in the event of a whale shark surfacing.

YouTube member Austin Buzzett posted a video yesterday with some footage of whale shark encounters off Grayton Beach and Seagrove Beach. The video does feature a few scenes with divers/snorkelers touching and hanging on to the dorsal fin of one of the whale sharks, which I strongly discourage, I think the overall theme of the video and the nature in which it depicts the whale sharks is definitely worth sharing.

The award-winning whale shark documentary, “Shores of Silence,” is available for viewing online at TheUnderwaterChannel.tv. The film, which was directed and financed by Mike Pandey, documents the mass hunting of whale sharks off the coast of Gujarat, India. Click to watch “Shores of Silence” (Warning: this documentary chronicles the capture and butchering of whale sharks.)

When the film was shot, whale sharks were not protected in India’s waters under the Wildlife Act of 1972, allowing the slaughter of the animals to go unregulated. While the film does feature footage that might be difficult for some to watch, it had such an impact that the government of India introduced legislature protecting the whale shark in 2001. Aware that legislation protecting whale sharks would have a detrimental financial impact on the fishermen who hunted them, Pandey also explored ways that the fishermen could earn a living as guides for whale shark tourism targeted toward tourists and divers interested in seeing the animals in their natural habitat.

The big thing that jumps out at me about this documentary is that, while Pandey clearly is against the hunting of whale sharks, he does touch on the livelihood of the fishermen who hunt them and does not turn a blind eye to their need to sustain themselves and their families. Pandey points out that the fishermen, who actually expose themselves to the risky whale shark hunts, actually do not make a lot of money off of their kills, while exporters reap about 40x as much financial gain as the fishermen in the southeast Asian markets. Pandey is not so one-sided that he is only concerned about the welfare of the whale sharks while ignore the welfare of those who make a living off hunting them. His ideas of preserving the whale sharks and turning Gujarat into a whale shark tourism site is a win-win situation for the fishermen and the sharks.

For more information about the film visit Shores of Silence – Green Oscar winner at Wildscreen at UnderwaterChannel.tv.