shooting and making strides in baja.
The whale shark is a gentle marine giant; measuring between 15-40 feet in length, it is considered the largest shark (and fish) in the world. Typically a lone swimmer, these creatures tend to only aggregate and feed at the water's surface in areas with abundant plankton sources. These groupings attract human spectators and increase ecotourism, which can be considered a threat to their population; the additional distractions and noises interrupt their feeding, while boat propellers can injure the sharks. A greater threat is the high demand for their meat, oil, and dorsal fins in international markets, and unless strictly controlled, hunting and fishing can pose serious effects on their populations (Rowat & Brooks, 2012).
During the Baja EE in 2014, students were informed about an ongoing conservation project called the Wildbook for Whale Sharks, which is a visual database created for human encounters with whale sharks. Individuals who see and/or swim with these gentle giants are encouraged to take photographs of the spotting patterns above their flippers and any scars that may distinguish them from other whale sharks. According to their website, this photographic library is used by biologists to learn more about the species and used specifically for mark-recapture studies in global conservation (Wildbook for Whale Sharks, n.d.). Through citizen efforts and input, whale shark numbers are discovered through photography, movements and population variability can be monitored, and individuals can be identified and protected.
While observing and swimming with whale sharks in the Sea of Cortez, we were able to capture photographs with our smart phones or underwater cameras and snapshots from GoPro videos of each individual (there were seven), focusing on the area behind the gills and above the flippers. Upon our arrival home, the instructors, Liana Vitali and Jamie Bercaw, submitted our pictures to the Wildbook for Whale Sharks to see if we discovered a new individual. Recently, we received exciting news that through our photographic efforts, we captured images of a whale shark that had not yet been encountered before. Our contribution gave us a true experience of citizen science, as well as how photography can be an important technology with conservation efforts and benefitting whale sharks in several ways.
During the Baja EE in 2014, students were informed about an ongoing conservation project called the Wildbook for Whale Sharks, which is a visual database created for human encounters with whale sharks. Individuals who see and/or swim with these gentle giants are encouraged to take photographs of the spotting patterns above their flippers and any scars that may distinguish them from other whale sharks. According to their website, this photographic library is used by biologists to learn more about the species and used specifically for mark-recapture studies in global conservation (Wildbook for Whale Sharks, n.d.). Through citizen efforts and input, whale shark numbers are discovered through photography, movements and population variability can be monitored, and individuals can be identified and protected.
While observing and swimming with whale sharks in the Sea of Cortez, we were able to capture photographs with our smart phones or underwater cameras and snapshots from GoPro videos of each individual (there were seven), focusing on the area behind the gills and above the flippers. Upon our arrival home, the instructors, Liana Vitali and Jamie Bercaw, submitted our pictures to the Wildbook for Whale Sharks to see if we discovered a new individual. Recently, we received exciting news that through our photographic efforts, we captured images of a whale shark that had not yet been encountered before. Our contribution gave us a true experience of citizen science, as well as how photography can be an important technology with conservation efforts and benefitting whale sharks in several ways.