Background

The plight of whale sharks in this region was brought to international attention in the 2009 Arabian Seas Whale Shark Symposium.

The ecology research project then began in June 2010 and includes fieldwork for data collection and a regional ID database for whale sharks (www.sharkwatcharabia.com). The database and website were launched as a tool to collect information on shark abundance and movements in the region.

The information collected in the Sharkwatch Arabia database will be utilised in the overall ecology research study. Sightings are recorded from throughout the whole GCC region. One of the social aims of the project is to directly involve the local community by turning divers and sea-going individuals into researchers.

Aims and Objectives

Aims are to:

1. Establish a regional whale shark identification database.
2. Understand the distribution and movements of whale sharks and why they occur.
3. Form an estimate of whale shark abundance and demography.
4. Discover how environmental and bio-physical factors influence distribution.
5. Assess the impact of human activity on the whale shark in the region.

Objectives are to:

1. Collect and process images and information collected in the field and/or sent to Sharkwatch Arabia from the local diving community to build a regional identification database.
2. Examine whale shark movements throughout the region and beyond with the use of satellite telemetry.
3. Combine the use of community based data collection and fieldwork to build up a picture over time of the seasonal abundance and demography of whale sharks.
4. Identify annual patterns in plankton parameters (density, size structure, biomass, taxonomic group), to characterize the oceanographic features where animals are found and to utilize the use of remote satellite imagery in an attempt to understand whale shark occurrence and distribution.
5. Investigate fisheries data, strandings and occurrence in ports and marinas throughout the region with a view to explaining why such events occur.