Wildlife Trust Of India takes the ‘Save the Whale Shark’ campaign to Lakshadweep

The whale shark is the largest fish on earth, reaching a length of about 18 meters and weighing as much as 21 tons.

The whale shark is categorized as ‘endangered’ by the IUCN Red List.

Save the whale shark: CIFNET, MPEDA, NETFISH, the Forest Department and the Fisheries Department came together on February 26 to organize a skill development training for the fishermen of Lakshadweep on Kiltan Island. During this event, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) collaborated with VST Industries to conduct a session aimed at raising awareness among local fishermen about the importance of the whale shark.

The primary objective of this initiative is to sensitize the fishing community, highlighting Lakshadweep’s status as one of the largest collecting grounds for whale sharks. By giving fishermen a sense of guardianship, WTI’s ‘Save The Whale Shark’ campaign aims to prevent cases of whale shark deaths caused by fishermen from neighboring Kerala.

The event, inaugurated by Dr. Sayed Ali and graced with a presidential address by forest ranger Jaseel, witnessed the participation of 70 dedicated fishermen. To extend its reach, the WTI team organized an awareness event at Moola Beach on Androth Island, which attracted an audience of more than 600 people. The captivating display of a life-size whale shark mascot generated engaging discussions and questions from islanders, indicating growing interest in whale shark conservation efforts.

Similarly, last week, the WTI team organized an event at the Fisheries Office, Androth Island for key stakeholders from the fisheries and forest departments and the fishing community. This was followed by a sensitization and interaction session with 650 students of Govt. Senior Primary School, Pandath on Androth Island.

“WTI, with the support of IUCN, conducted a survey along the west coast (excluding Gujarat) in 2012-2013 and found that the highest number of whale shark sightings (after the Gujarat coast) occurred near the waters of Lakshadweep. Fishermen of Kerala often go to the Lakshadweep waters for fishing and the high incidental landings can be attributed to this fact,” said Sajan John, Marine Specialist at WTI.

WTI started a whale shark conservation project along Kerala and Lakshadweep Island in 2017 with the support of Cochin Shipyard Ltd. The whale shark is the largest fish on earth, reaching a length of about 18 meters and weighing as much as 21 tons. This species is categorized as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN Red List and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 in India.