IN THIS ISSUE

 Did you know…?

In a rather bizarre television stunt involving two whale sharks in a netted enclosure with 6 scuba divers the producers of “Jackass: the movie” showed that whale sharks have a highly developed mechanism for locating their prey. 

Two of the divers had stuffed their swimming-trunks with krill and were getting the shark’s undivided attention as the animals pushed them around trying to get to  the krill....

Don't try this at home!

NOTICE BOARD

Aerial Sightings 
Jul-Sep 2003

73 flights in total
113hrs 43mins flying time
277 whale shark aerial sightings reported
18 whale sharks (max) during a single flight

Micro-light aerial surveys will continue through to October.

Assist the Survey Team 
Contact Johan 
59 28 35

Please send us any comments or news for inclusion by clicking

THE EVOLUTION OF WHALE SHARK MARKER TAGS. 

	Marker tags new and fouled after 9 months deployment. Photo David Rowat

Monitoring whale sharks requires a reliable method to identify one animal from another and the use ofmarker ‘tags’ has been common though-out animal monitoring programmes from birds through to whales. As such, it was the first type of identification technique trialed in monitoring whale sharks in Seychelles in the 1996 pilot programme (Sagren vol.1.2). 

Marker tags require little equipment and allow the rapid identification of previously encountered sharks; however, they do require in-water observation and are most effective when there are many in-water observers. It also helps if the sharks appear in shallow areas where the observers are!

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Full protection in Seychelles waters. Photo Udo Engelhardt

In January 2003, the whale shark was declared a protected species in Seychelles, under the Wild Animals Protection Act. The first subsidiary legislation of 2003 (S.I. 1 of 2003. 13th January 2003) states that:
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is declared to be protected throughout Seychelles at all times.  No person shall kill or take a whale shark.

Under this Act, penalties for offences range from SR 5,000 to 500,000, imprisonment and the potential seizure of vehicles involved in the crime.
This legislation marks a major breakthrough for the whale shark in Seychelles and results from MCSS’ close working partnership with the Ministry of Environment.........

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Crittercam ready for deployment. Photo Peter Nicholas

In an attempt to better understand what lures whale sharks so predictably every year to Ningaloo Marine Park in North Western Australia, scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) have attached a “Crittercam” to a 7m whale shark. The camera, which was deployed earlier this year, was provided by the National Geographic Society and is designed to automatically disconnect after a period of time and float to the surface where it emits a VHF signal allowing for a simple search and rescue operation to retrieve the valuable film within......
 

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Please let us know! Please get as much information as possible, where when, how many, how big, what it was doing etc. then call us, e-mail us or fill out our on-line sighting form every sighting is important in building a picture of these sharks movements and behaviour around Seychelles

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By becoming a whale shark foster parent you are ensuring that research on whale sharks is continued. Your support will assist in protecting these amazing creatures and ensure that they continue roaming the world’s tropical oceans.

Adopt me !

Mazarin (s275): A 4½ m juvenile male whale shark tagged on the 25th January 2003 near L'ilôt Island. He has a distinct scaring pattern and is easily recognized.

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