It was a sunny morning on July 25 at Gilakaladindi, a coastal village in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, when a group of fishermen found a massive fish caught in their nets. The catch was a whale shark. Few days later, a similar incident occurred at the same place.
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the world’s largest known fish species. Not a whale but a species of shark, it is included in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of India, 1972, which renders the capture and killing of the fish a cognisable offence. “It’s akin to killing a tiger,” says P Sathiyaselvam, conservation biologist of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). Listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), whale sharks have been hunted for years for its fin and liver for commercial trade, while oil from the fish was used for water-proofing wooden boats. International trading of its parts is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and the Wildlife Protection Act of India.
“Unregulated and unsustainable fishing practices to meet international demand for shark fins, liver oil, skin and meat, accidental entanglement in trawl and set nets, collision with boats as well as extensive coastal pollution have been attributed as major threats to the species,” adds Sathiyaselvam.
Since the mid-1980s, whale sharks became a regular fishery for their liver. In the 2000s, alarming incidences of slaughter of this species was reported from the Gujarat coast. This was captured in the award-winning film Shores of Silence: Whale Sharks in India by Mike Pandey, which eventually brought about major legislative changes to protect whale sharks worldwide.
Whale shark campaign at schools in Gujarat. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
At that time, the Wildlife Trust of India launched a massive campaign to bring about conservation awareness to fishers in Junagadh and, later, expanded it to Gir Somnath, Porbandar and Dwarka in Gujarat. The project had a considerable impact with workshops conducted in villages and street plays enacted to convey the consequences of hunting whale sharks. Since then, over 800 sharks have been released by the fishermen of Gujarat.
Despite conservation efforts, the whale sharks continue to face challenges primarily due to bycatch and accidental capture in fishing nets, illegal hunting and habitat degradation. A global study indicates that over the past 75 years, the world’s whale shark population has decreased by 50%.
On the East Coast
A big whale shark that got beached at Tantadi beach in Visakhapatnam in 20212 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
On the East Coast, the Kakinada coast in Andhra Pradesh is one of the major landing zones for whale sharks. Fishermen here often encounter these gentle giants in their nets, leading to accidental deaths. The lack of awareness and the potential economic losses associated with releasing these sharks only exacerbate the issue. Whale sharks are at times encircled in purse seine nets. “This net is a major culprit in Visakhapatnam coast. Over the past couple of years, the reports of whale shark stranding and landing have also increased along the coast,” says Sri Chakra Pranav, a marine biologist and co-founder of the East Coast Conservation Team, a non-profit working on wildlife conservation on the East Coast of India.
A study conducted during 2013-2015 by East Godavari Riverine Estuarine Ecosystem (EGREE) Foundation reported 79 whale shark landings in the Kakinada region, about 150 kilometres away from Visakhapatnam. Overall, gill nets contributed to 80%, trawl nets contributed to 15% and shore seines contributed to 5% of incidental whale shark catches along the Andhra Pradesh coast.
A map of coastal Andhra Pradesh indicating whale shark catch and bycatch. | Photo Credit: East Coast Conservation Team
Researchers say that while awareness drives is one part of the solution to save this endangered marine species, incentivising fishermen to release whale sharks safely back into the sea can be the key. In Gujarat, the State Forest Department, through a recent notification, has announced ₹50,000 as compensation for damage to fishing nets while cutting free entangled whale sharks. The compensation model has proven to be a game-changer. Fishermen, once skeptical of conservation measures that appeared to work against their livelihoods, are now active participants in the protection of whale sharks.
Pivotal role
Organisations like the BNHS and the Mangrove Foundation are playing pivotal roles in whale shark and other marine mega fauna conservation in the West and East coasts of India. “The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in January 2021, issued the Marine Mega Fauna Stranding Management Guidelines which proposed establishment of one Rapid Response Team (RRT) for each marine megafauna stranding hotspot of the States and Union Territories with one RRT covering about 200 kilometres of the coastal stretch. But the implementation of these guidelines is not effective,” says Sathiyaselvam.
Whale Shark | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Last month, BNHS and Mangrove Foundation conducted an awareness workshop at Palghar in Maharashtra to introduce this concept to the local fishers in association with State forest department, Coast Guard, Marine Police and Indian Navy. Similar workshops will be conducted in the East Coast in Tamil Nadu as well as in Andhra Pradesh.
“Shortly, we will be launching an app to monitor and aid the rescue and release of marine mega fauna like whale sharks in the Maharashtra coast,” he adds.
The combined efforts of conservationists, NGOs, and government agencies is critical in creating a safer environment for whale sharks along India’s coasts. However, the path to recovery for these gentle giants is fraught with challenges.
Local fishermen and forest officials guiding back a beached whale shark into the sea at Tantadi beach in 2022. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Continued community engagement, stricter enforcement of wildlife protection laws, and sustained conservation initiatives are crucial to ensuring the survival of the whale shark population in Indian waters. “As highly migratory species, understanding whale shark populations is not an exercise that can be done within the political boundaries of India. The Wildlife Trust of India had tied up with researchers from several surrounding countries, such as the Maldives to understand whale shark population,” says Divya Karnad, co-founder of InSeason Fish and Assistant Professor at Ashoka University who has been working on sharks and rays from past 15 years across India.
As the gentle giants continue to swim through the waters of the Indian coast and beyond, reserachers and environmentalists hope that with concerted effort, India’s coastlines will remain a safe haven for these incredible creatures, allowing future generations to marvel at their majesty.
