No whale sharks at IR

Yay great news! For those of you who haven't signed, please sign at www.whalesharkpetition.com we need to keep the pressure up so the gahmen will approve RWS's proposal!

No whale sharks at IR
May 16, 2009, Grace Chua, the Straits Times

RESORTS World at Sentosa (RWS) is scrapping its plan to exhibit whale sharks at its upcoming Marine Life Park.

The creatures had been touted as a star attraction for the 8ha oceanarium, the world's largest, when Genting International's RWS won its bid for the Sentosa integrated resort (IR) three years ago.

The plan drew intense flak from animal welfare organisations which highlighted the limited space for huge animals that can grow to over 12m long, and their dismal survival rate in captivity.

The developer stuck to its guns - but now may have realised it made a mistake.

RWS spokesman Krist Boo admitted the resort was hoping to back out of its original plan as it believes it may not be able to care for the animals.

She told The Straits Times on Friday: 'We are discussing and exploring an alternative proposal to having whale sharks.'

The new proposal, like any change to the original IR plan, must be presented to the Government.

Woeful tale of maimed whale shark

Great coverage by BBC News on whale shark tagging in the Maldives and the disturbing reality of the threats to whale shark populations.

Tagging whale sharks in the Maldives
Tuesday, 5 May 2009 13:29 UK, BBC News

Whale sharks - Rhincodon typus - were first discovered in the 1800s and are found throughout the tropical oceans, but relatively little is known about their behaviour, how long they live, their breeding habits, or their migratory routes - or indeed whether they migrate.

Using software similar to fingerprint-matching technology, the snaps of the shark's spot patterns are compared to see if it has previously been photographed or is a new find. So far they have recorded 106 on the database, all but two of which are male.

Back on the boat, the team explain the sad story behind "Joey's" fin.

He was first photographed by the group in 2007 in perfect health. Then, one night last year, they got a call from people on a local island saying that there was an injured whale shark floating in the island harbour.

Arriving at the scene, Richard saw that it was Joey, who had suffered an unsuccessful finning attempt - his dorsal fin was very nearly severed, left hanging on by a small segment.

"It was a terrible injury, we thought he probably wouldn't survive," Richard says. But in time the wound healed and Joey is still swimming around.

A shark fin of this size can go for $10,000 (£6,600) in Taiwan or Hong Kong, and can be used as an eye-catching billboard outside a restaurant serving shark fin soup.

The tale of Joey, a whale shark who nearly lost his dorsal fin to hunters.

Joey's story is sobering, despite our euphoria over being lucky enough to spot these incredible creatures. Luckily for them, the new Maldivian government is beginning to take shark welfare seriously and has introduced a reef shark hunting ban throughout the 26 atolls.

Whale sharks are described as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List, with their population expected to decline by as much as 50% over the next century.

But in truth, nobody knows how vulnerable they are, the true number of whale sharks in the world, or whether that number is in decline or increasing.

Click here to watch the video on "Joey" from the post below.

Woeful tale of maimed whale shark
Tuesday, 5 May 2009 13:29 UK, BBC News

Gaia Vince reports from the South Ari atoll in the Maldives on the successes and challenges of tagging whale sharks.

Little is known about the breeding and migratory habits of the sharks, the world's largest fish.

Here, Richard Rees and Adam Harman discuss the case of Joey, a whale shark that nearly lost its dorsal fin to hunters.

Holiday makers help protect largest fish in the sea

Holiday makers help protect largest fish in the sea
May 1st, 2009, Thaindian News

Sydney, May 1 (IANS) The world’s largest and rarest fish, the whale shark, may be increasing in number in one of its vital habitats, a new study by scientists and the general public has revealed.
The remarkable success of the online survey of whale sharks was carried out by Earthwatch volunteers, tourists, divers and researchers at Ningaloo, Western Australia.

It has prompted scientists to issue a worldwide call to holiday makers and divers to join a global effort to monitor and protect the largest fish in the sea. Whale sharks are thought to be at risk.

“Besides showing that whale sharks can increase where they are well-protected, we have also demonstrated the power of citizen-science, that ordinary people around the world can make a real contribution to serious research and conservation,” said Brad Norman, project coordinator and founder of ECOCEAN whale shark project.

Whale Shark sightings - Donsol, Philippines

These are from my friend, Peter, who was lucky enough to see whale sharks 8 times on his trip to Donsol, Philippines this April.

This wonder and majesty of seeing a whale shark in the wild can never be duplicated by keeping them in a tank, they belong to the ocean! www.whalesharkpetition.com

Watch the whale shark videos he filmed here. Thanks for sharing Peter!













These are from my friend, Peter, who was lucky enough to see whale sharks 8 times on his trip to Donsol, Philippines this April.

This wonder and majesty of seeing a whale shark in the wild can never be duplicated by keeping them in a tank, they belong to the ocean! www.whalesharkpetition.com

Watch the whale shark videos he filmed here. Thanks for sharing Peter!

Whale shark rescued by Cagayan fisherfolk

Great work from the Philippines! It's essential for governments to realise that these amazing creatures are worth much much more alive than dead and they need to be protected.

Whale shark rescued by Cagayan fisherfolk
April 27, 2009, 4:52pm, Manila Bulletin

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan — Local officials and residents of Buguey town in this province rescued an endangered whale shark or butanding last week.

Buguey Municipal Secretary Arthur Pagador said the whale shark, measuring about 7 meters in length and weighing about 2 tons, was found entangled in a beach seine (daklis) along the shore of Barangay Centro West Saturday.

After an hour or so, the whale shark was freed and was able to return towards the deeper portions of the sea.

“It is very fortunate that the fishermen made a move to save the animal instead of kill it,” Pagador said.

Sec. 97 of RA 8550 and Fisheries Administrative Order 193 prohibits the catching of whale sharks and manta rays. Violation to the law carries 6 months to 4 years imprisonment as penalty.

Old folks in the coastal areas say whale sharks used to abound in great quantities but indiscriminate fishing might have drove them off. BFAR Regional Director Jovita Ayson said that recent sightings might be an indication of the re-emergence of whale shark population in Cagayan waters.

Recently, the fisheries bureau in the region initiated a briefing among members of the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee Sub-committee on Fishing and Marine Environmental Protection on the proper rescue procedure on stranded marine mammals to include whale sharks and other rare and threatened species, as part of the activities under the Region 02 Marine Mammal Stranding Network. (Max Prudencio, BFAR R02).

Whale sharks all closely related, says study

Whale sharks all closely related, says study
Nicolette Craig, Practical fishkeeping



Whale shark (Picture: Christoph Scheutzenhofer, Creative Commons)

A new study has discovered that whale sharks around the world are all related which puts them at risk from overfishing.

Until recently, it wasn’t known if overfishing in some areas would affect overall whale shark populations as no one knew if the sharks were migratory or if they tended to stay in their own territories.

Although this species is listed in Appendix II of CITES, and with strict quotas in place, the financial gains for anyone exceeding their quota far outweigh the potential fines and consequences.

Lead scientist Jennifer Schmidt said: “Our data show that whale sharks found in different oceans are genetically quite similar, which means that animals move and interbreed between populations.

“From a conservation standpoint, it means that whale sharks in protected waters cannot be assumed to stay in those waters, but may move into areas where they may be in danger."

"The only real threat to whale sharks is us. To design proper conservation plans, we need to understand the sharks' lifestyle. We can only protect their habitat if we know what habitat they use."

Schmidt hopes that more countries will close whale shark fisheries and place more effort into alternatives such as ecotourism programs.

Save the whale shark. And say a prayer

That is great! If only it worked in Singapore. Too bad most Singaporeans only worship money lol.

Save the whale shark. And say a prayer
Wild Notebook: the ingenious methods of the Wildlife Trust for India
April 18, 2009, Simon Barnes, The Times Online

We tend to think of wildlife conservation as a particularly British thing: something that we must somehow seek to impose on the barbaric foreigners. We must make them see the light, must we not? But this is not the way it works at all.

I was constantly blown away by the Indian partner (of Wildlife Trust for India): an organisation light on its feet, punching above its weight and constantly solving Indian problems in a wholly Indian way.

Take the whale shark campaign. Fishermen were catching these, the biggest fish on the planet, simply for their livers, which were used for waterproofing boats. And while there was a very solid education campaign, and the Government was successfully lobbied to establish legal protection, the decisive moment came with the involvement of the holy man Morari Bapu.

Morari Bapu considered the matter and then declared that the whale shark was a god. The fish was nothing less than the first avatar of Vishnu. The slaying of the whale shark, Morari Bapu declared, was not fishing but deicide.

The killing was stopped at a stroke, and the great gods of the sea cruise off the coast of India, filter-feeding as they go, unmolested by the devout.

MEGAMOUTH SHARK: Ultra-Rare Shark Found, Eaten

What is up with us people, why must we put everything we find in our mouths! For all we know it could have been one of the last of its kind. Why like that!

MEGAMOUTH SHARK: Ultra-Rare Shark Found, Eaten
April 7, 2009, National Geographic

In just a short time, one of the rarest sharks in the world went from swimming in Philippine waters to simmering in coconut milk.

The 13-foot-long (4-meter-long) megamouth shark (pictured), caught on March 30 by mackerel fishers off the city of Donsol, was only the 41st megamouth shark ever found, according to WWF-Philippines.

Fishers brought the odd creature—which died during its capture—to local project manager Elson Aca of WWF, an international conservation nonprofit. Aca immediately identified it as a megamouth shark and encouraged the fishers not to eat it. But the draw of the delicacy was too great: The 1,102-pound (500-kilogram) shark was butchered for a shark-meat dish called kinuout.

"While it is sad that this rare megamouth shark was ultimately lost, the discovery highlights the incredible biodiversity found in the Donsol area and the relatively good health of the ecosystem," Yokelee Lee, WWF-US program officer for the Coral Triangle, said in an email.

"It is essential that we continue working with the government and local community on the sustainable management of Donsol's fisheries resources for the benefit of whale sharks, megamouth sharks, and the local community," Lee said.

Other shark species in Donsol are valued for conservation rather than consumption: The region hosts a successful ecotourism project that allows people to swim with whale sharks.

Low Genetic Differentiation across Three Major Ocean Populations of the Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus

Low Genetic Differentiation across Three Major Ocean Populations of the Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus
Posted on: April 6, 2009 10:26 PM, by Coturnix, scienceblogs.com

Whale sharks are a declining species for which little biological data is available. While these animals are protected in many parts of their range, they are fished legally and illegally in some countries.

We have shown only low levels of genetic differentiation between geographically distinct whale shark populations. Existing satellite tracking data have revealed both regional and long-range migration of whale sharks throughout their range, which supports the finding of gene flow between populations.

Whale sharks traverse geographic and political boundaries during their life history and interbreed with animals from distant populations; conservation efforts must therefore target international protection for this species.

Tourism in Bicol rides high above global recession

Singapore is so greedy. We don't have whale sharks then too bad why must we steal from other countries! Leave the whale sharks in the wild where they belong. It's so sad for a butanding to be in a tank in an aquarium.

Tourism in Bicol rides high above global recession, notes Escudero
Monday, 06 April 2009 20:17 Business Mirror

The whale-shark season starts in January and lasts until the end of the third quarter of the year, although the butanding, as the whale shark in known locally, could be sighted the throughout the year off the coastlines of municipalities straddling the Sorsogon Bay and Ticao Pass.

Visitors here take rented boats to where the whale sharks swim, and the more adventurous visitors are allowed to swim with the butanding.

The municipality is also preparing for the three-day Butanding Festival that starts on April 28. The festival features cultural dances, parades and fluvial processions as a way of giving thanks for the good life brought about the whale sharks.

The celebration’s main attraction, however, is eco-tourism, where visitors are taken by boats out in sea. Organized by trained tour operators and guides, the visitors are allowed to interact with the whale sharks.

The whale sharks have contributed significantly to tourism in the region. More than 1.3 million local and foreign tourist arrived in Bicol last year, Escudero said.

Whale Shark Festival Schedule Announced

Whale Shark Festival Schedule Announced; Environmental Leader Project Domino to Participate
Swimming With Whale Sharks and Other Ecotourism Adventures to Aid in the Survival of This Fragile Marine Environment
By: Marketwire . Mar. 23, 2009 11:07 AM

This summer, thousands of visitors to Isla Mujeres, Mexico will celebrate the beauty and culture of this fishing community while championing the need to preserve a fragile marine ecosystem at the Whale Shark Festival, a five-day extravaganza that showcases the achievements, the traditions and the environmental splendor of Isla Mujeres.

The Festival will be held July 1-5, 2009 in Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Guests can swim with whale sharks, an endangered species and the largest fish in the ocean. They can join the worldwide effort to protect and preserve whale sharks by adding their photos to ECOCEAN's international Whale Shark Photo Identification Library Project, a visual database of the unique markings that allow scientists to identify -- and track -- individual whale sharks.

"The Festival is an opportunity for travelers to participate in ecotourism adventures and to immerse themselves in the culture of this vibrant island community," said John Vater, who co-founded Ceviche Tours with his wife, Adriana, and longtime friend and Isla Mujeres native Luis Refugio "Cuco" Sanchez and his family. "They can also become 'Citizen Scientists' by participating in conservation initiatives that truly impact the survival of the marine environment in Isla Mujeres."

Groups cite whale shark deaths

That so-called world's biggest oceanarium isn't even 0.001% of a whale shark's natural range! 3,500 people have already signed the whale shark petition in 6 days, please add your support now!

Groups cite whale shark deaths here
Protesters want to prevent resort from including those fish. Aquarium neutral on idea.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Thursday, March 19, 2009

Animal welfare groups half a world away are using the 2007 deaths of two whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium in an effort to stop a Singapore resort from displaying the huge fish.

The groups, which include the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, have launched a Web site (whalesharkpetition.com) and petition drive that highlights the Georgia Aquarium whale sharks deaths to argue that the big fish should not be kept in captivity at a new marine park in Singapore.

Ralph and Norton —- two adolescent whale sharks brought to Atlanta from Taiwan —- died two years ago after their tank was treated with a chemical used to rid fish of parasites.

Resorts World at Sentosa is building two casinos in Singapore, which will feature what the resort calls the “world’s biggest oceanarium” when it opens next year. The resort says the oceanarium will house 700,000 fish in 20 million gallons of water.

Whale sharks are ocean-going fish that can dive to depths of several thousand feet in the wild. They have been kept successfully for more than a decade at some Asian aquariums. However, critics argue the majority of whale sharks held in captivity die within a few years of their capture.

Quezon fishers rescue whale shark, turtles

Quezon fishers rescue whale shark, turtles
03/16/2009, Philippine Daily Inquirer

LUCENA CITY—A 30-foot whale shark or “butanding” and six marine turtles were rescued in two towns of Quezon province in the past week, an environmentalist protection group reported on Saturday.

Shiela de Leon, director of the Tanggol Kalikasan-Southern Tagalog, a public interest environmental law center, said residents of San Andres along the Ragay Gulf in the Bondoc Peninsula saw the whale shark near the pier.

“The butanding again made its appearance after long years of absence,” said De Leon, a native of San Andres.

She said that after an hour of “photo ops” and playful interaction with children, the town officials ordered the fishers to guide the whale shark back into deep waters.

Animal welfare groups oppose import of whale sharks at Sentosa IR

Great!

Animal welfare groups oppose import of whale sharks at Sentosa IR
Posted: 12 March 2009 1232 hrs, ChannelNewsAsia

SINGAPORE: Seven local and international animal welfare groups have launched an online campaign opposing plans by a Singapore integrated resort developer to import whale sharks for its planned oceanarium.

The groups on Wednesday launched a website, www.whalesharkpetition.com, calling on the public to "voice their opinions" on the plans to import the whale sharks, described as the largest living fish species.

OFFICIAL PETITION: Against Whale Sharks in Captivity

Hi everybody please sign the offical anti-whale sharks in captivity petition!!

International organizations Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have joined forces with local organisations The Green Volunteers, lovesharks.sg, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Cicada Tree Eco-Place to launch a public awareness campaign against the proposed import of whale sharks to Singapore’s Resorts World at Sentosa.

Resorts World at Sentosa wants to import whale sharks for the attraction and entertainment of visitors. Whale sharks are vulnerable to extinction and have never done well in captivity. They can grow as large as two city buses, migrate thousands of kilometers in the wild, and live up to a hundred years. It is just plain cruel to keep them in glass cages.Whale sharks have never fared well in captivity. Two whale sharks died within five months of each other at the Georgia Aquarium.

Write to the Minister of National Development, the Singapore Tourism Board and Resorts World at Sentosa before this tragedy happens on our shores.
Send your letter here http://www.whalesharkpetition.com/

Smallest Whale Shark Discovered -- On a Leash

Aiyo so cute! Why was this guy trying to sell the whale shark! I'm glad the conservationists got it to before it got the horrible fate of dying in someone's fish tank or hotplate!

Smallest Whale Shark Discovered -- On a Leash
March 9, 2009, National Geographic News

Early on March 7 a project leader from the international conservation organization WWF and others in the town of Donsol heard that a live whale shark was being offered for sale at a nearby beach. Expecting a stranded giant, the rescuers found instead a 15-inch (38-centimeter) shark leashed to a stake in the mud like a neglected puppy.

By the end of the day, after photos and measurements had been taken, the young whale shark was free again, released into deeper waters.

Whale shark rescued by firefighters

Nice bit of animal welfare from Taiwan. Taiwan banned the harvest and sale of whale sharks in 2008.

Whale shark rescued by firefighters
23:28 GMT, Monday, 2 March 2009, BBC News

An endangered whale shark which drifted into a canal in Taiwan has been returned to open waters by fishermen and rescue workers.

It is believed the whale shark, which is the world's largest fish, could have entered fresh water while chasing food.

More than ten fishermen, coastguards, and firefighters spent almost eight hours towing the whale shark back out to sea.

Whale shark on 60 Minutes

Whale sharks are in danger of being hunted for their fins and now also the face the terrible fate of captivity. Liam Bartlett and 60 Minutes investigates.

Resorts World at Sentosa want to import whale sharks for their "marine life park" as well, we need to stop this cruelty in the name of research and conservation!

Marvels of the deep, 60 Minutes
September 9, 2007: It's the size of a bus, the biggest, most majestic fish in the sea. No wonder they call it the whale shark. And we can tell you, up close it looks pretty scary. Fortunately for Liam Bartlett, though, this particular monster from the deep is harmless, one of those gentle giants.

And that's been it's downfall. That and the fact it's considered a delicacy in Asia. But now there's a new, unexpected threat. It's become a huge tourist drawcard. A major attraction for super aquariums around the world. And, tragically, for the whale shark, that attraction can be fatal.

LIAM BARTLETT: But not all whale sharks thrive in captivity. Put simply, these big fish don't do well in small ponds. Two have already died here this year. On average, whale sharks in aquariums rarely survive more than three years. Extraordinary, considering they can live for up to 150 years in the ocean. If you've got state-of-the-art facilities and you've only got a 50 percent success rate do you still reject the notion that it's not good to keep these things in captivity?

PAUL WATSON (Sea Shepherd Conservation Society): The greatest impact is on the sharks. People might learn — they die. There must be other ways of learning without having to kill the animals.

RAY DAVIS (Georgia Aquarium): And we're not. What we have ...

PAUL WATSON: You already have. You already have.

LIAM BARTLETT: Gentleman, look at this. Look at the size of that. They dive to 1500 metres in the wild. This tank is 10 metres deep. How can that not be cruel?

RAY DAVIS: We take a look in understanding why do they dive deep — we have other animals that occur deep or move throughout a water column as well as migratory.

LIAM BARTLETT: Well, what does that mean, 'Move through a water column'. What does that mean? This thing dives up to 1500m in the wild. This is 10m deep.

PAUL WATSON: And it swims for thousands of miles.

RAY DAVIS: It's been demonstrated that animals that we see ranging widely do very well in zoos and aquarium settings.

Click here to watch the video
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-AU&brand=ninemsn&vid=66e6fea2-5dc1-4623-bfe9-0faf4099ceca

'Free Shark Campaign' Gains Momentum in Dubai

If so many wildlife organisations around the world are protesting about whale sharks in captivity then why is Singapore purposely doing exactly the same controversial thing! It's obviously negatively viewed internationally, and most importantly the future of this vulnerable species is at stake!

'Free Shark Campaign' Gains Momentum in Dubai
Published Thursday, February 12, 2009, Written by The Media Line Staff

Pressure is increasing on the five-star Atlantis hotel in Dubai to release the whale-shark known as Sammy, which has been kept in aquarium at the hotel for 160 days.

Several wildlife groups have issued a statement in a local newspaper supporting the “Free Sammy” campaign. Signatures to the plea include Emirates Wildlife Society–World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), WWF International Global Species Program, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Emirates Environment Group and the Abu Dhabi Natural History Group.

According to the open letter, the whale-shark – which despite its name is a large plankton eating fish, which can grow to be 40 feet long and weigh up to 13.6 tons – is listed as an endangered species by several international conservation organizations and is vulnerable to extinction.

Whale sharks migrate extremely large distances each year and regularly move between the surface and deep waters, a behavior that is simply not possible in an aquarium no matter how large the facility might be, the open letter stated. This highly migratory nature, combined with its low abundance, makes it particularly vulnerable to exploitation.

The authors of the open letter also expressed concern regarding the effect on the whale-shark population by removing a female from the sea where she could reproduce.

Atlantis hotel under fire over shark

How much does this sound like Resorts World at Sentosa!

Atlantis hotel under fire over shark
February 9, 2009 - 10:39AM, Brisbane Times

Environmentalists have renewed their call for a marine-themed luxury Dubai resort to release a whale shark on display inside the hotel's giant fish tank.

"The risk to the animal being held is greater than if the animal is released," Lisa Perry of the Emirates Wildlife Society/World Wild Fund told AP on Sunday. Releasing the 4 metre-long female whale shark back into the wild "is the right thing to do for Atlantis and for the animal", she said.

"Holding a whale shark in a constraining artificial environment where it is unable to feed ... and has a limited area to move can have fatal consequences," the activists wrote in a letter to the hotel's management. The letter was sent to the local media earlier this week.

"Taking a potential breeder ... from the wild, takes not only one whale shark from an already weakened whale shark population, but also the possible offspring she could produce," the letter said.

This is not the first environmental controversy that has plagued the Atlantis resort in Dubai. In 2007, activists protested the sale of dolphins from the Solomon Islands to Dubai. The mammals were transported 30 hours by plane from the South Pacific to a man-made lagoon, where hotel guests can swim with them.