1000th Whale Shark added to Photo-identification Library

The 1000th specimen of the world's largest and most cryptic fish, the whale shark, has been identified thanks to global efforts by hundreds of 'citizen scientists' and eco-tourists.

ECOCEAN, the group behind a unique, award-winning* conservation effort to save the world's threatened whale sharks, today announced the identification of the 1000th identified whale shark in its online Library which shares data from scientists and ecotourists worldwide.

"Its a major milestone, for science and for conservation," says ECOCEAN project leader Brad Norman, of Perth WA. "And it was achieved with the help of ordinary people worldwide who want to study and protect this wonderful creature."

ECOCEAN tracks individual whale sharks throughout the world's oceans using a web-based photo-ID library of the unique spots that pattern the animals' skins. Researchers and eco-tourists submit images, which are logged to reveal a picture of whale shark movements and behaviour over time.

The 1000th shark was reported by a major contributor to the ECOCEAN Photo-ID Library, Simon Pierce, a marine biologist studying the sharks that visit Mozambique. It was a 6.5m male. Simon has contributed more than 100 sharks from his three year study in Mozambique.

"We can expect there to be substantially more than 1000 sharks alive in the world today. But, even so it is still a very tiny global population that needs close monitoring to ensure its survival.

Participation in the ECOCEAN Library has increased dramatically in recent years. It took three years to reach the 500th shark milestone but only one additional year to reach 1000. This is evidence of willingness by people worldwide to use the Library to study this cryptic giant.

Brad Norman notes: "We're calling on the public worldwide to become 'citizen scientists' and help us study this wonderful animal by logging their images and sighting details on www.whaleshark.org

"This will build a better understanding of this threatened species and help save the largest fish in the ocean from extinction"

Brad Norman won a Rolex Award for Enterprise for this work in 2006. ECOCEAN won a Sun Microsystems Duke's Choice Award for Innovative Use of Java Technology in 2005 and the Peter Benchley Award for Shark Conservation (Science) 2007

Australia fights to save whale shark
Lauren Williams, Daily Telegraph 27 Nov 07;

TECHNOLOGY from NASA combined with photographs from 1000 amateur scientists has allowed researchers to track the largest and most elusive fish in the sea.

A Perth-based conservation group has recruited tourists and nature lovers from around the globe to photograph their sightings of whale sharks.

Known as the gentle giants of the sea, the rare and beautiful beasts grow up to 18m and are under threat of extinction.

But using ground-breaking technology first employed by NASA to identify star constellations, around 1000 whale sharks have now been identified - prompting some hope that their numbers are rising.

The technology allows the distinguishing patterns on the animals to be analysed and compared to others in the photograph bank. Like a fingerprint, the unique spotted designs differ on each shark.

Despite a growing number of international laws protecting the whale shark, the leader of the ECOCEAN project, Brad Norman, said there was still an illegal market for the fin and flesh of the whale shark in East Asia.

"This year Taiwan announced they would ban fishing of the whale shark, so we are having some success," he said.

Mr Norman said the largest numbers of whale sharks were found of the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia.

The latest photographic sighting was made by marine biologist Simon Pearce in waters off the coast of Mozambique.

Even at a massive 6.5m long, Mr Norman said the giant was most likely a juvenile.

"Whale sharks were only discovered in 1828. We don't know much about them," he said.

1,000th rare whale shark identified in Mozambique
Michael Perry, Reuters 28 Nov 07;

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The 1,000th whale shark, a rare and threatened species, has been discovered by researchers using a global program in which eco-tourists and scientists identify new sharks and lodge photographs on an online library.

"It's a major milestone, for science and for conservation," said ECOCEAN project leader Brad Norman in Australia.

"It was achieved with the help of ordinary people worldwide who want to study and protect this wonderful creature," Norman told Reuters on Thursday from Perth in Western Australia.

The whale shark is the world's largest fish, a slow-moving filter feeder that can grow to around 12 meters (40 feet) and weigh up to 21 metric tons. But it is difficult to study, remaining in deep ocean for months and only rarely rising towards the surface.

ECOCEAN tracks individual whale sharks around the world's oceans using a Web-based photo-ID library (www.whaleshark.org) which catalogues each whale's unique spots.

Researchers and eco-tourists submit images, which are logged to reveal a picture of whale shark movements and behavior.

The 1,000th whale shark, a 6.5 meter (19 feet) male, was recently reported by marine biologist Simon Piercea in Mozambique. Piercea has contributed more than 100 sharks from his three-year study in Mozambique.

"We can expect there to be substantially more than 1,000 sharks alive in the world today," said Norman. "But, even so, it is still a very tiny global population that needs close monitoring to ensure its survival."

Participation in the ECOCEAN library has increased dramatically in recent years. It took three years to identify the 500th shark but only one additional year to reach 1,000.

ECOCEAN's Web site tells readers how to photograph a whale shark, warning swimmers to stay at least three meters (10 feet) from the shark for fear of upsetting it.

It also explains how to photograph the left and right side spot patterns above the pectoral fins, which create a unique "bodyprint," for identification.

"We're calling on the public worldwide to become 'citizen scientists' and help us study this wonderful animal by logging their images and sighting details," said Norman.

"The data will help us determine their numbers, movements and identify critical breeding and feeding grounds which need to be protected. This will build a better understanding of this threatened species and help save the largest fish in the ocean from extinction," he said.

(Editing by David Fogarty)

Links

ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library