~The Marine Conservation Society, Seychelles~  

 
   

 

 

 

Seychelles whale shark monitoring newsletter 

   Oct 2005  Vol 3, No. 3
   
 

  Breaking News
Migratory Shark Proposal posted for CMS

In a last minute move the Governments of Australia, New Zealand and Seychelles have jointly proposed a Recommendation to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) on conservation measures for all migratory sharks covered by the CMS convention listings. This currently includes the whale shark and great white shark and also the basking shark if another proposal from the UK is successful.

Full details of the proposal are available from the CMS web site by clicking here.

 

 

 

NOTICE BOARD

Whale Shark Sightings 
 
Jul - Sept 2005


In-water Sightings
 
349 reported sightings
 134 in-water encounters
 96 sharks identified
5 sharks tagged
 61 sharks sexed (57M/4F)


 

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Hope for the Whale Shark with the CMS


Seychelles hopes to launch the process to enable an international conservation agreement for whale sharks at the upcoming meeting of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) in November this year.

The CMS proposal may now allow whale shark to  get international protection....

The CMS is an inter-governmental treaty under the United Nations’ Environment Programme that aims to conserve migratory species throughout their range by developing agreements between the countries that occur along the range for a particular species. 

These agreements also cover ‘International Waters’ and as such this body is ideally suited to the development of a conservation agreement for whale sharks which have been shown to migrate long distance across oceans passing through the jurisdiction of many countries, as well as spending a lot of time on the high seas.

Full article>>

Singapore School Helps Track Whale Shark

German - European School students with satellite tag. Photo Ingo Lang  

A team of five motivated students from the German European School in Singapore came to Seychelles in August in culmination of a year long project to track the movements of a whale shark using a satellite tag.

The group lead by teacher Ingo Lange, arrived in Seychelles on August 18th with just six days to get up to speed with the MCSS Whale Shark Programme and attach a satellite tag..

Full article>>

A Very Big Shark! by Johan Anderson, MCSS microlight pilot

Lifting my head I look along the surface of the ocean. There, less than twenty meters, away a large triangular dorsal fin is bearing down straight at me. ‘Mother, it’s big!’ I think.

For all intent I could be somewhere off the Southern African Coast, suspended in the cold nutrient rich waters off the Cape, however this water is warm. As I float on the surface my eyes pick up thousands of tiny animals, spinning, whirling and wriggling about; zooplankton and in their own element, a very different and fascinating world! But I am not here to look at plankton. Instead, I am waiting for one of my dreams to appear from out of the gloom, at any second....

Full article>>

 
If you see a whale shark....

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

More details>>

 
Adopt a  whale shark....

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.

More details>>

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