How Ocean Conservation Projects Work With Whale Sharks

By Harold Moore


Whale sharks are quite simply enormous and are the largest fish species currently in existence. They are a slow-moving filter feeding shark and the largest ever confirmed was measured at 12.65 meters in length and weighing in at more than 21.5 tonnes, although it is thought that there are even larger ones patrolling the oceans. Ocean Conservation assists in their continued existence.

Work with Orcas or the fearsome Great White Sharks, and swim with the dolphins and whales, learning about their habitat and how to safely work with them. All this will be extremely valuable for your future career - and you will have a whole lot of fun too!

Considering their size you would think whale sharks would pose some danger to humans, however, in reality, they are docile fish and are not violent. Some divers have even suggested that the juveniles can be playful while they are in the water with them. One area where the sighting of a whale shark is reasonably common is in the Maldives, where a large preservation project of the coral reef includes the monitoring of whale sharks.

Research the Great White Shark- The Great White Shark is one of the most misunderstood creatures of the sea. However, this creature is an important part of the sea ecosystem and, as such, one of the animals focused on in the wildlife preservation programs in Africa.

Offshore oil exploration is a danger to the seas and the seas. The world relies on oil and the fact that there is a multitude of crude oil off the shore of many countries makes offshore drilling very profitable for oil production companies. But it takes only one mistake to cause an environmental disaster.

In the Maldives, the preservationists do not tag the sharks but instead use scientists and volunteers on preservation projects to track them by taking photos of the shark's gills. Interestingly, like a human's fingerprints, their gills are unique meaning that on a collection of photos and location data the scheme can track where the sharks have traveled - rather clever.

The whale shark is currently targeted by many commercial fisheries, the overall population of this particular fish is unknown, and along with six other species of shark, it is considered as vulnerable. Although they continue to be hunted in many areas for commercial purposes, the fishing, selling, importing and exporting of the species has been banned in the Philippines, India, and Taiwan. With more conservation wildlife projects taking place, hopefully, eventually the population will be recorded, allowing there to be some more hard facts on the future of the whale shark.

As the seas are complex environments, your work in preservation can virtually take any shape or focus. Depending on your interests, your experience could include working with fish, mammals, invertebrates, coral, mangroves, sea grass, fisheries or even communities that depend on the fishing industry. Location-wise, you could help out in a local UK coastal town or even volunteer to do some work in preservation in some of the world's more exotic locations.




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