Gentle Giants of the Seas

Fran Gillespie investigates some of the larger visitors to Qatar's seas.

Copyright: Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme

Whale sharks, gentle giants of the sea, are found in tropical and warm oceans worldwide, including the Arabian Gulf. Slowly cruising the oceans like living submarines, at up to 12 metres long and weighing 21 tonnes, they are spectacular animals.

Although the English name prosaically refers only to its size, the striking pattern of white spots on a dark grey background has given rise to names such as 'papa shillingi' in Kenya, through the resemblance of the spots to coins, 'domino' in Latin America, 'many stars' in Madagascar and 'stars on the back' in the Philippines.

These gigantic sharks are the largest fish species on the planet, inhabit open water and have a natural life-span similar to that of humans, ie around 70 years. Feeding almost entirely on plankton and microscopic plants and animals, they scoop them up with their colossal gaping mouths, before shutting their jaws and 'sieving' out the food by forcing water through their gills.

Whale Sharks in the Arabian Gulf

Whale sharks were known in the past to travel to the northern parts of the Arabian Gulf to give birth, as these waters used to provide a safe haven. It is believed that the Gulf may still serve as a nursery for juvenile whale sharks, but more research needs to be done.

A survey conducted in April 2009 in Qatar by the Shark Conservation Society recorded 15 species of sharks, including whale sharks.

They are regularly sighted in Qatari waters by divers and fishermen.

Copyright: Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme

In December 2009, the First Arabian Seas Whale Shark Research Symposium and Workshop, held in Fujairah, announced that a new database is to be developed, based in the UAE. It is designed to enhance knowledge of the whale shark, particularly in the Arabian Sea. Organised by the wildlife documentary film-maker Jonathan Ali Khan, who has made documentaries in Qatar, and is currently working on a film on whale sharks in the Arabian Sea, experts from all over the world came together to share their knowledge.

The project will form the Gulf arm of a global whale shark database held on a website established in 2003. Scuba-divers, snorkellers, or indeed anyone who sights whale sharks in Qatari waters, is urged to submit the information to the Shark Trust.

Conservation

It seems that suddenly, biologists worldwide are taking an active interest in whale sharks as, like so many other creatures, they are under threat. On a visit to Doha in November to talk to the Qatar Natural History Group about the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme [MWSRP], founded in 2006, biologist Richard Rees and his colleague Adam Harman described their two-fold goal: not only to conduct research on whale sharks but to encourage conservation initiatives by the Maldivian people themselves by providing them with education about the sharks.

Copyright: Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme

'The best job in the world' is how biologist Richard Rees describes his work. And indeed many people would agree with him – it involves making dozens of dives a year in the crystal clear blue waters surrounding the Maldives Islands, one of the world's most favoured small island holiday destinations and a mecca for divers.

Why concentrate studies on the Maldives population in particular? Whale sharks are migratory, but the Maldives are unique in the Indian Ocean in that they are host to a year- round population of the colossal animals, making the archipelago an ideal base from which to study their biology and behaviour.

In 1996 the Maldives government passed a law prohibiting the hunting of whale sharks. Formerly they were killed for the oil in their livers, used to waterproof the hulls of the traditional wooden fishing boats. Nowadays they sometimes fall victim to illegal shark-fin hunters, their fins fetching huge prices in the Far East, but the real threat is a new one -- tourism. Whale shark watching has become big business in the Maldives, and tragically, many sharks are injured by the propellers of the tourist boats and also by the nets of fishing boats, in which some become entangled and badly, even fatally, injured.

Copyright: Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme

'Part of our work,' says Rees, 'is to persuade the people of the Maldives that even though they no longer hunt the sharks, these animals belong to them and need their protection. Fortunately at meetings with the fishermen we've found them very willing to cooperate, and we run training courses for the whale shark watching guides to help them reduce the impact of humans on the animals.'

Through ignorance and an understandable desire for profit, tour operators often allow dozens of snorkellers into the water to surround a surface-swimming whale shark, and the temptation to touch it or even to hitch a ride is irresistible for some. Rees and Harman and their colleagues explain to the boat operators that the slow-moving creatures cannot avoid the propellers of boats and that allowing large numbers of humans to make physical contact with the sharks causes them to become stressed. Properly administered and monitored, whale shark watching could become a long-term sustainable source of income for the people of the Maldives without endangering the sharks.

MWSRP is based on the South Ari Atoll on which the largest of the Maldives' three Marine Protected Areas is centred. The southern outer edge of the Atoll is one of the few places worldwide where whale sharks aggregate all year round.

Categorised as 'vulnerable' world-wide, whale sharks face a steady decline in numbers, through fishing, pollution, loss of habitat, boat strikes and other causes. Like sea turtles, they do not reach sexual maturity until around the age of 30, so reproduction rates are slow. Through research, Rees, Harman and their colleagues hope to enhance protection efforts to prevent yet another species from facing extinction.

In 2006 a pilot study was carried out and the following year a skin biopsy study was made and a method developed of identifying the unique spot pattern on each animal, using software originally developed by NASA to recognise star clusters. There is currently a database of 130 individuals, of which all except four are immature males. The scientists also tag each shark with one to three tags, each relaying different information and enabling the sharks to be tracked on their migrations and the depths of their dives – sometimes to 1000 metres or more – recorded.

Fund-raising to continue the research and protection schemes is an important part of the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme's activities, and next year these will include a sponsored swim through 900 km of islands. More information about the work of the MWSRS and methods of raising funds, including involving volunteers, and 'adopting' and naming a shark, can be found on the website www.maldiveswhalesharkresearch.org. The Qatar Natural History Group has agreed to adopt and sponsor a shark, to be named Rayyan in recognition of the sponsorship given to the group by Rayyan Mineral Water.

Close Encounter with a Whale Shark (BBC)

Frances Gillespie has contributed to several publications related to Qatar, is the author of Discovering Qatar and also writes regular feature articles for a national newspaper on the cultural heritage and natural history of the country. She is a former chairperson of the Qatar Natural History Group, and is still active on the committee.