Arabian Gulf offers safe haven for whale sharks

Research continues on the ocean's biggest yet most elusive fish, but it is believed the Arabian Gulf serves as a nursing and feeding ground for female whale sharks.
Emmanuelle Landais, Gulf News 19 Oct 09;

Dubai: Whale shark sightings in the Arabian Gulf and, increasingly, in man-made marinas can reveal important information about the gentle giants, and making sure they stay here could mean the survival of the species, says a Dubai-based marine-film producer.

Research continues on the ocean's biggest yet most elusive fish, but it is believed the Arabian Gulf serves as a nursing and feeding ground for female whale sharks, said Jonathan Ali Khan, Wild Planet Productions' producer and researcher.

Sightings are likely to increase as whale sharks have historically travelled to the northern parts of the Arabian Gulf to give birth, as these waters used to provide a safe haven for pups, said Khan, who is currently working on two films on sharks of Arabia, one of which explores the underwater world of whale sharks, specifically in the Arabian Sea.

"For centuries these were safe waters but since the advent of the oil industry the changes have been dramatic and marine life is adapting," he said.

Safety element

The Gulf provides nutrient-rich waters in which whale sharks continue to come and feed.

"The safety element has been removed with breakwaters and marinas but it will become extremely common to see them. It would be great to know if they are male or female as well," he said.

Emerging research shows that male whale sharks congregate mostly towards Djibouti and the Maldives, where sightings of hundreds of whale sharks are frequently tracked. Khan, meanwhile, believes the females could be travelling up the Arabian Gulf to deep waters to give birth.

Each female can have up to 300 pups but the mortality rate is high.

"Even if 50 per cent of them survive, you could have up to 100 in the area so they will be sighted from time to time. The ideal location for whale sharks is off Ningaloo Reef in Australia where you'll see fully grown adults, 50 feet long" he said.

"Juveniles come into the Gulf for sanctuary and to feed so it is of critical importance to the survival of the whale shark."

Deep history: Previous sightings

- August 28, 2008: A four-metre whale shark found struggling in Jebel Ali waters is shipped to large tanks at Atlantis, The Palm.

- May 26, 2007: A shark is spotted near the rocks at Al Mamzar beach.

- February 7, 2007: A four-metre-long whale shark is spotted along the quay at Port Zayed in Abu Dhabi.

- June 25, 2006: Residents and workers at Dubai Marina spot a whale shark swimming through the bay.

- January 19, 2006: A 12-metre-long baleen whale is found dead on Al Mamzar beach with its belly ripped open.

- July 15, 2005: A stranded whale shark attracts more than a thousand onlookers at Dubai Marina.


Curious intruder
7Days 19 Oct 09;

As a whale shark was spotted swimming freely in Dubai Marina yesterday, the Atlantis hotel still refuses to comment on when it will release the one it netted a year ago.

Eyewitnesses told 7DAYS they saw the mammal, which was more than 3m long at around 7.45am in the marina.

“A lot of people from surrounding buildings gathered to take pictures of the shark. It appeared for a short time and then vanished suddenly. It was a lovely creature swimming and diving freely,” Reynoldo, who saw the creature said.

This is the second whale shark to be spotted in the last few days in UAE waters. A few days ago, one was found swimming at a marina under construction near the luxurious Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi.

The freeness of the creatures is in stark contrast to that of the whale shark which was captured in Dubai waters in August 2008 and continues to remain in captivity at the Atlantis hotel despite dem-ands for its release from environmentalists and animal rights groups.

Last year the UAE Minister for the Environment and Water Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad said he supported the release of the whale shark but no action to free it has been taken.

Atlantis still refuses to comment when contacted by 7DAYS about the whale shark.

Mohammad Abdul Rahman Hassan, head of Marine Environment and Wildlife section at Dubai Municipality said that whale sharks have a tendency to follow boats and ships and stray into waters.

“We have had reports of whale shark sightings in Dubai Marina and Dubai Creek,” he said.