A conservation dilemma: whale shark marine park in Kenya
Recently the East African Whale Shark Trust (EAWST), based in Diani beach in Kenya, has come out with an idea to capture wild whale sharks and put them into a 500m enclosure. Tourists will then be brought in groups of 10, and an estimated 40-50 people a day will be able to dive with the whale sharks while being lead by a trained diver. There will be the transitional periods in which the EAWST will bring in two whale sharks and release the previous pair.
Mr Volker, director of EAWST, claims that some of the revenue will benefit local communities, whale shark research and conservation. He has stated that he will be rotating the fish every six months, to ensure they do not spend their lives in captivity and to provide an opportunity for observation of several different animals. Even though whale sharks have been proved to be highly migratory, according to EWAST, some whale sharks tend to stay longer along the Kenyan coastline all year round, making them vulnerable to fishermen looking for money from their fins.
Whale sharks are facing increased pressure from overfishing, but does that justify this kind of project? Is a whale shark in ‘captivity’ better than a dead whale shark poached for its fins? And does this captivity justify a tourism trade spinning off from it? A while back there was a video on the Internet of a similar idea in the Philippines, where children were riding on the back of a captive whale shark. Now while there might be a chance that this won’t happen in Kenya, I can’t help but cringe at the whole concept of this project.
Some might say that putting a whale shark in an enclosure is the same as putting a lion in a wildlife park, but surely the reason why we have had to put animals like lions in parks is because we have taken away most of their natural habitat? And while we have the very real threat of fishermen, surely tagging whale sharks and identifying where they are more likely to encounter fishing activity would be a better start than penning a few in. They will ultimately still end up swimming along the same coastline when they are released and out of the reach of supposed sanctuary protection.And what exactly will these whale sharks be fed? A new study by Motta et al in the journal Zoology provides information on how much whale sharks eat. They worked out that whale sharks spend about 7.5 hours per day feeding, consuming around 21 kilograms, or 46 pounds, of plankton per day! Would the sharks they plan to enclose need such large quantities over six months and where on earth are they going to get it?
If education is the aim then surely taking out locals and tourists to see whale sharks in their natural state, free from enclosures, is far better and more rewarding than watching them in a ‘zoo-like’ area? Whale sharks are killed for the monetary value of their fins and, honestly, if the fishermen are not provided with another incentive not to kill for the fins, then well-intentioned education can only have a very limited impact, especially in a country where people are facing extreme poverty and lack of a sustainable income. They might have a wonderful, experience with a whale shark, but will that address the fact that they still need money to survive, and if there are no alternative monetary schemes and no legal ramifications if they do catch, kill and sell the fins then realistically what is the incentive to stop? I have been told that the Waa community will be the ones on the receiving end of the education program going along with this incentive, and that the money raised could potentially provide some of the children with funding for further education, but what about the parents? Particularly their dad’s and any elder brothers who are generally the ones heading out to sea to do the brunt of the fishing. Education of the younger generation is essential for the future of marine conservation, but are we forgetting about the issues of the people directly involved in the use and conservation of our marine resources.
My biggest concern is that Kenya has a very complicated reputation when it comes to how they manage their environmental laws and regulations, and there won’t be many repercussions if something were to go wrong. There are other organizations, including EWAST, that conduct good scientific research and tagging on whale sharks along the East African coastline, if we have the ability and the chance to avoid creating a ‘marine zoo’, surely we should take that route.
Do you think things like this have a place in marine conservation or are they just another way to make money off eco-tourism? What are our responsibilities as tourists and travellers in researching the activities that we want to take part in when we go to other countries, and even in our own back yards?
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22 Responses to “A conservation dilemma: whale shark marine park in Kenya”
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August 1, 2012 at 10:03 am
The enormous size of the Whale Shark does not favour itself to captivity of any kind in any size pool! It must simply stay in its natural habitat!
If people want to see it up close, get in a cage out at sea and observe it, where it belongs.
This stupid idea must be stopped in its conception stage!!
August 1, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Absolutely disgraceful they should not be in captivity.disgusting.
August 1, 2012 at 3:02 pm
As said by Mr. Hannabus, I agree, “The enormous size of the Whale Shark does not favour itself to captivity of any kind in any size pool! It must simply stay in its natural habitat! If people want to see it up close, get in a cage out at sea and observe it, where it belongs.” correction, we don’t need a cage to go into an ocean to see this shark, it’s harmless to humans, on the matter,
any shark is harmless to humans,
on the other hand I can’t say that about humans.
August 1, 2012 at 3:04 pm
further i forgot to mention this : go watch SHARKWATER, to get proper numbers and facts, it’s a gerat movie,
August 1, 2012 at 5:21 pm
This is disgusting, How can this be classed as ECO tourism. This is no bertter than a dolphine park, what next? train them to jump thought hoops??
August 18, 2012 at 7:19 am
Conservation demands innovation, that’s what this project is about. Some of the funds raised from tourists paying to swim with these sharks are going to local communities who are currently killing whale sharks, in exchange to STOP killing them! On another note; it’s not mainly the fins the fishermen are after, it’s the liver which they turn into shark liver oil! This oil is used to impregnate wooden boats against ship worm and has been used for thousands of years all along the entire Indian ocean. Because the fishermen have run out of other sharks they have now started to target whale sharks who have a much larger live compared to other sharks, hence more money. The Kenyan project will use some funds to produce and distribute cashew nut shell oil which is as effective as shark oil but cheaper. Conservation, education cost money, especially if you want to reach the remote costal areas where the killing is taking place. In other words, use them or loose them, sad but also very true! We don’t live in a perfect world…A live whale shark in captivity is defenatly more valuable than a dead, finless shark on some beach! As far as shark conservation goes, this initiative will benefit everyone involved, INCLUDING THE SHARKS!!!
August 19, 2012 at 12:17 pm
Hi ,again, Nicklas
This kind of topic will always elicit responses for and against, because it is quite a tricky subject to navigate.
Yes we don’t live in a perfect world, and that ideally we should never have to put any species into some kind of aquarium or aquarium-like structure just to prevent them from being killed. But with so many other institutions having tried this and meeting with very rare success I am simply asking if doing this in Kenya, where the resources are infinitely more complicated, limited and costly is really a well thought through idea when first world countries like the states have their sharks dying in captivity? According to Captian Paul Watson ; “ Over 24 whale sharks have died in captivity since they became fashionable aquarium exhibits.” While this project might not be on the same scale and time period for holding a whale shark as say an aquarium, the information used to justify it is the same and the problems this project will face will be similar, and the aquariums are not getting it right, so how does this project plan to? These sharks naturally dive to depths below 980 meters, and migrate thousands of kilometers through open water. They require an incredible amount of very specific food and very comprehensive and specialized care to survive in a healthy state, how do they plan to provide this? Would the very real expense that this kind of project can incur not be better put to use some other way, because by the sounds of it this is going to be a very costly exercise?
I don’t see very many answers to the technical questions being posed, only to the emotional ones? I was asking if there was an alternative to doing this, surely we should take it, and I am not the only person raising this issue.
“The EAWST claims that the plan is to generate funds for whale shark conservation (presumably, money for the EAWST itself) in order to set up a potential breeding programme, to do research and to promote awareness. Since most of the whale sharks off the Kenyan coast are immature males, a captive breeding programme seems pretty fanciful . And research on a couple of whale sharks in captivity isn’t exactly a conservation priority – surely, tackling the growing problem of whale shark hunting off the coast of Kenya is considerably more important? If tourists want to see whale sharks, they can be observed in more than two dozen locations around the world – as Tom Peschak demonstrated in his portfolio in the June issue. “ Mark Carwardine ,zoologist, photographer, writer, conservationist and BBC TV presenter. http://www.markcarwardine.com
“Whale sharks do not survive in captivity; even in the very best aquaria they die, as it is difficult to replicate the diet and environment that a pelagic [open sea] filter-feeding shark requires,” Dr David Rowat, the chairman of the Marine Conservation Society in the Seychelles,www.saveourseas.ocm/about
“ I can see both sides to the debate. The idea of confining any creature for our profit and amusement is abhorrent and arrogant. As is the complete butchering of entire wild populations. Seeing an aquarium shark is an unforgettable experience for anyone, but seeing one in its natural environment is that and more.” Joey, USA. http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=4334
I am also just asking my fellow tourists and travellers to ask questions, examine and not just go blindly into an activity, especially anything to do with conservation efforts, without deciding for themselves what is acceptable and what is not.
And for me, as a traveller and conservationist, this is not acceptable. But it’s also just my opinion.
August 22, 2012 at 7:09 am
First of all, this project will run in PARTNERSHIP with the Waa community, one of the poorest communities along the Kenyan coast line. Sure, they will benefit financially from captive whale sharks instead of dead ones. Considering that these sharks are going to be released after a period of time (6 month) is it “worth” it?! Sometimes you need to remove the emotional aspect when dealing with conservation and although it is sad to hold animals in captivity, this project will benefit the whale shark. There is another aspect that you might be unaware of? Local school children will be able to participate a marine education program and swim with these gentile giants for free. An “adopt a whale shark” program will be offered to tourists, this money is going directly to a fund in order to help local school children with school fees. Secondly, there are some highly respected conservationists supporting this project, among them Dr Richard Leakey, Paula Kahumbu and Jake Grieves Cook. Another important feature that many people seem unaware of is that the sanctuary will combine a marine animal rescue and rehabilitation center as well, currently there is none along the East African coast (there are many land based rescue and rehabilitation centers for “land” animals in Kenya) Thirdly regarding zoo’s. These are personal views and differ from person to person. What I am trying to say is: are zoo’s unethical? some people don’t think so ( I do in some cases) and the majority are for zoo’s. It is not the same to see an animal on TV compared to a zoo (unfortunately) and if 12 year old Juma from Waa will be able to swim with a whale shark, he will surely embrace this majestic fish. If he then gets his school fees paid from the whale shark he will outright protect it in the future, let there be no doubt. On another note, the Churaumi aquarium in Japan has been holding whale sharks in captivity for 30 years. Their male whale shark that has been kept there for more than 17 years has sexually matured and they expect the female to mature any day soon. Once that happens they plan to breed whale sharks in captivity. They are breeding Manta rays since 2007 producing several litters every year. I remember when they announced their plan to breed Manta rays in captivity back in 2006, many people were laughing at them saying it couldn’t be done. We need to contribute to the science of whale shark biology as we are doing with most animals. Although “pretty fanciful” it can’t be done unless we try. Whale shark pups are born alive and immediately independent of their mother, in other words; you could immediately release them if we managed to breed them one day! I understand that this is a sensitive subject and that some people are against it. However, the irony as I see it is this; IF some of these “conservationists” were able to have their will and stop this project, it would mean the end of the whale shark population as we know it in Kenya, rest assured. Use them or loose them, sad but true…
May 10, 2013 at 4:56 pm
bullshit!!!
you money minded muzungu.
and you come telling us that you are parking whale skarks in baby pools so as to help the “Local Population”? ??
bullshit! and our organisations shall do everything so as to boycott your stupid pool.
September 19, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Hi Nicklas, Judging from your replies you must be working for this project. It would be great then if you could answer some of the questions I was posing, such as what the sharks are going to eat? how are you going to look after their health? What are you using for the enclosure (if a net – is there not a possible issue with bycatch, turtles? ) How do you know the shark will not die, once you release it when it has been released after six months being held in captivity from its natural migration route? Does the Kenya government support this initiative, and KMFRI or KWS?
I think you are also missing what I am trying to say, comparing a breeding program of manta rays and whale sharks is like comparing apples and oranges. Both have two very different needs when it comes to nutrition, space not to mention the differences in facilities in Kenya and in Japan where the breeding took place. Never mind the fact that keeping marine animals and especially whale sharks in captivity that are in excess of 8 m in length (the size of a mature, breeding whale shark) is an extreme task for the world’s most modern aquaria and husbandry experts, and that’s just keeping them alive, let alone getting them to mate…. Starting with 4-5 m individuals as EAWST propose is a very long-term project and would not work if they are to be exchanged/rotated with new specimens every six months. To say that without this project “it would be the end of the whale shark population as we know it in Kenya”, I think is a bit alarmist and unfounded.
While education is important, I think that EAWST is missing the mark, and not dealing with why the sharks are being killed, not by little Jaa, but by his father and brothers? EAWST has also supported overseas funded satellite tagging programmes (with apparently numerous tags) that would shed light on the amount of time these ‘Kenyan’ sharks actually spend in Kenyan waters, with the few findings that have been publicized at regional symposia showing that the sharks migrate many hundreds of kilometres away from Kenya, but this seems to have been ignored by EAWST thus far.
There are programmes running in Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa (not to mention on the Indian Ocean Islands of the Seychelles and the Maldives), but none of these has felt the need to capture whale sharks so they can charge people to swim with them. Also just because famous conservationists support projects, does not mean everyone has to agree with them (added onto that Leaky is a politician and paleoanthropologist, Kahumba is CEO of Wildlife direct and conservationist and Grieves-Cook is involved in Kenyan tourism and runs a safari company) Have you got any endorsements from any whale shark experts and conservation programs supporting dealing with whale shark biology/science this initiative?
October 9, 2012 at 12:32 pm
Hi again Linda, no, I am not working for the EAWST although I support the project. You on the other hand seem to work very hard against this project which I think is unfortunate but understandable since you clearly lack information.
On that note, I was a sceptic like you at first (I actually signed the petition against this project myself #773) but contacted one of the trustees of the EAWST who lives in my hometown in order to find out more about this initiative.
I had a very rewarding meeting and I now support the project 100 %, the petition agains the project I find very misleading as it doesn’t reflect the issues whale sharks are facing in Kenya. You compare Kenya with Tanzania, Seychelles, Mozambique and Maldives, non of these countries are targeting whale sharks while there are several credible reports that this is happening in Kenya, do you think the situation will get better or worse?! Especially that the new harbor development in Lamu is now being build by the Chinese?! Make no mistake Linda, the threats facing whale sharks in Kenya is very real! As far as whale shark tourism goes, did you know that the sightings in Kenya dropped from 4,7 whale sharks spotted per day in March 2006 to 0,2 whale sharks in 2012? Do you seriously think that ANY of the above countries would have ANY whale shark tourism if their whale shark numbers dwindled to numbers as low as we have seen in Kenya these last 6 years?!
Your remarks that a manta ray compared to a whale sharks is like comparing “apples & oranges” reflects a certain amount of ignorance. Both mantas and whale sharks are filter feeders who feed on the exact same food! OK, the manta ray has a huge brain and is considered to be one of the most intelligent fish in the ocean even having a social relationship between individuals. The whale shark on the other hand has a tiny brain, a 6 meter whale shark has a brain the size of a walnut! As for your concerns regarding disrupted migrations routes and how will you be sure it doesn’t die once it has been released. Every whale shark researcher seems to agree that there is no recognizable migration routes for whale sharks. While some travel thousands of kilometers, some may stay in an area all year round. Furthermore, every released shark will be carrying a new generation satellite tail tag that people like you and I will be able to follow through a dedicated website on a daily basis.
According to Joe, a diver who helped set the enclosure in March earlier this year; “we initiated the sea trials in order to make sure we didn’t catch any fish, or God forbid, turtles as this would kind of defeat the purpose of setting up a whale shark sanctuary, so far, 6 month later we didn’t catch a single fish but the enclosure has attracted a lot of marine life, it’s nice to see that nothing can get entangled”
Churaumi aquarium in Japan (who apparently supports the veterinary aspects of this project) have been keeping whale sharks for more than 30 years, their male whale shark has been there for 17 years. The Kenyan initiative has a 2030 vision, to breed whale sharks by then. Meanwhile they will catch and release juvenile whale sharks every 6 month and do ongoing research on these little known animals. According to the trustee I spoke to, there are no immediate plans to start breeding whale sharks in Kenya, their main concern is the welfare of these sharks while held in the sanctuary.
Lastly Linda, I don’t have all the answers you want, maybe you should contact some of the people who are involved? I will try to answer some of your concerns as and if I get the relevant information for you.
Keep an open mind people.
October 19, 2012 at 6:42 am
This project is ONLY a greedy money making project. US$ 100.- to swim with the poor Whale Shark.
October 19, 2012 at 7:19 pm
Holly, these are your personal assumptions, has nothing whatsoever to do with reality. I saw that your petition hasn’t reached the goal of 1500 yet, after 5 month!? Only 22 Kenyans signed it out of 8500 members on Kenyans 4 wildlife… Here a translation of an article that appeared in UNTERWASSER, Europe’s biggest dive magazine last month, happy reading Holly ; )
Open Water Aquarium for Whale Sharks
On the South Coast of Kenya in the village of Waa, which lies between Diani and Mombasa, the first Open Water Aquarium for Whale Sharks is in the process of being created.
The initiator of this project is the East African Whale Shark Trust (EAWST) and the enclosure is set to be 100 times larger than the Whale Shark Aquarium in Georgia, Atlanta, which is currently the largest in the world. By March 2013, visitors will be able to admire the beauty of two juvenile whale sharks that will swim in an open area which is 2,000 meters in length, 600 meters wide, with an average 14 meters in depth. The enclosure will be made by high density Polyethylene fiber that prevents entanglement.
For 100 Euros each, visitors shall be allowed to swim with whale sharks. The excursion will last 3 hours in total, inclusive of lectures about whale sharks and the protection of the seas, with 1 hour being reserved for swimming with the whale sharks themselves.
The project shall not only aim to raise funds for the protection of the whale sharks but also the start of a research station along with the possibility of a future breeding program.
Volker Bassen, founder of the EAWST, explains the basic aspects and aims of the protection area: “The project will be put to practice together with the local community. Communities where whale sharks are currently killed will get a share of the revenues from this project, in exchange for giving up the hunt of the whale sharks.”
A few top researchers will participate with very keen interests in different research projects. The area will include a rescue and rehabilitation center for injured marine animals as well.
But why an enclosure and not whale shark-watching with free living whale sharks?
The answer is very simple: there is hardly any free living whale sharks found in Kenya these days. The EAWST during its tagging expedition in 2006 sighted 58 whale sharks in 14 days, however in 2012 this had dropped to12 sharks spotted in 6 weeks.
The reason: Whale sharks are heavily hunted in Kenya specifically because of the oil from its liver, which is used by the locals to impregnate their boats as a protection against shipworm. After other shark stocks were exhausted the fishermen started to hunt whale sharks, whose catch is very lucrative because of its big liver. Even regarding the catch quotas the decline of the population is visible: From 42 catches in 2008 the quota declined to 14 in 2012.
The whale sharks kept in the sanctuary will be released back to the open sea after 6 months and will be under supervision for 7 days a week all around the clock. “At first sight of stress the shark will be released,” Bassen assures.
Bassen expresses an objection to critics stating that such protection areas are very common on land and the only reason why there are still elephants in Kenya, due to similar projects. Without the revenues from the protected areas there would be no security for the elephants. This is only one example out of many.
“Use them or lose them – this is very sad but also very true “unfortunately” whether you like it or not,” according to Bassen.
October 19, 2012 at 7:42 pm
Here the original article in German for your German facebook version Holly, would be great if you could post it but guess that wont happen?
http://www.unterwasser.de/news/artikel/freiwasser-aquarium-fuer-walhaie
November 16, 2012 at 10:46 am
Nicklas, I have repeatedly contacted the project but seem to get the same response you have been giving out- “here’s a link to an article in a diving magazine.” I think you are seeing this argument for the aquarium from one side and I am seeing from the other and we are not going to reach a middle ground on this. I am very well aware that both whale sharks and manta’s are filter feeders; I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I was talking about the sheer size of the shark compared to a manta, and just how much a whale shark will need to eat-and where this food is coming from (which I have now found out is from a trawler that they will be using to collect the food for the whale shark)–which again makes me wonder how this will impact the other marine life around this aquarium. And as far as my research shows they are definitely going to be starting a breeding program (on the side: the breeding program is now also being advertised on tour packages for overseas visitors as one of the major functions of this project, why would they say that they have no future plans for this and then advertise that they do?)
I wrote that there are programmes running in Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa (not to mention on the Indian Ocean Islands of the Seychelles and the Maldives) on whale shark tagging and conservation, but none of these has felt the need to capture whale sharks so they can charge people to swim with them- not that people countries are not targeting whale sharks, they are. They face the same problems as Kenya, but they are not advocating putting whale sharks in an aquarium to fix the problem.
I do not believe that making an outdoor aquarium is of any benefit to the whale shark population, because charging tourists to swim with it and educating tourists on the subject does not address or tackle the real problems of overfishing and the killing of the sharks for fins. I think from my side we really like the other aspects of the project proposal, I would have been much more inclined to support this if it kept all its community aspects, because those are very good an necessary if we are to tackle the poaching and decline of whale sharks in East Africa, but those aspects can be done without the creation of an aquarium, and to me that makes more sense, especially as EAWST already runs a very good whale shark diving operation for tourists and they already conduct tagging.
EAWST has supported other overseas funded satellite tagging programmes (with apparently numerous tags) where the few findings that have been publicized at regional symposia show that the sharks migrate many hundreds of kilometers away from Kenya… but this seems to have been ignored by EAWST thus far.
Personally it raises more red flags than green ones for me- and as much as I would love to be able to support this kind of work I have not been getting all our questions answered and our concerns adequately addressed and I can’t give it any kind of approval.
November 21, 2012 at 5:59 pm
OK Linda, I guess we have agreed to disagree on this subject once and for all. Here some interesting comments I came across (copied and pasted) regarding keeping shark in aquariums (not seaquariums, note the difference)
There is even the one quote you copied and posted yourself earlier but the full version this time.
From Andy
We conserve what we love. We cannot love something to which we cannot relate. We cannot love something that is abstract, distant or hidden, or else we love the mere fact that it IS abstract, distant or hidden.
As a shark biologist now, I am a testament to this. I LIKED sharks my whole life, but not until I had the privilege of sharing the company of sharks in their natural environment that I truly LOVED these animals. Nothing compares to seeing sharks in person. Discovery Channel does not do these animals justice. The sharks’ utter beauty and grace are so often masked in documentaries by scary, dissonant background music.
However, most folks do not have the time or money to travel far distances to swim or dive with sharks in the wild. Aquariums are the next best thing. I fully support having whale sharks (and baby white sharks for that matter in the Monterey Bay Aquarium) in appropriate captive spaces, such as Georgia Aquarium. The benefit of people seeing these animals to science and conservation far outweigh the “sacrifices” made by these particular captive animals.
That being said, we must be careful about assigning human emotion to these animals. The animal rights activists like to say that these charismatic captives are lonely, swimming in their own urine, cramped swimming in a “bathtub,” etc. The truth is, these sharks only care about two things: getting food and mating. And getting food is the most important. If they are fed, they are “happy.” Sharks in aquariums are certainly well fed. And in many aquariums captive sharks mate on a regular basis. Animals mating in captivity is perhaps the single greatest indicator of “happiness,” that is, that all their needs are being taken care of.
For the sake of conservation and getting the public excited about loving and protecting sharks, these whale sharks and the like must be taken into captivity to let people see them. There is no better way to incite that desire to conserve!
Here the one you quoted Linda
Joey
March 19, 2010 at 12:09 pm
A complicated issue, especially given the general state of global shark populations. The tragic reality is that as much as any shark lover fights to prevent it, we are losing the fight. Conservation movements have made giant leaps in protecting sharks, but the numbers are still staggering. Millions are taken legally every year, millions more illegally by finners. As long as there is a profit to be made, there will always be poachers. Public perception and understanding has become the primary focus of shark conservation, and there is NO better way to do this than by letting people see them face to face.
Andy is right in saying we need to stop with the anthropomorphic descriptions of how these animals are feeling. “Happiness” is a complex emotion probably not capable in fish, just based on the structure and processing capabilities of the brain. This has become a weapon used by activists in their arguments against captivity, but is ultimately biased. Considering that a 6 meter whale shark has a brain the size of a ping-pong ball, even more so.
I can see both sides to the debate. The idea of confining any creature for our profit and amusement is abhorrent and arrogant. As is the complete butchering of entire wild populations. Seeing an aquarium shark is an unforgettable experience for anyone, but seeing one in its natural environment is that and more.
November 21, 2012 at 6:10 pm
PS: Linda, you really are a “muppet” ( no offense meant ; ) I didn’t say that there are no plans of breeding whale sharks (I suggest you read my last reply again!) I merely said that there are no immediate plans to breed whale sharks, it’s their vision 2030.
November 22, 2012 at 7:09 am
Nicklas, thank you for your continuos support. Linda, I can’t believe what I am reading here, first of all your facts are utterly misguiding, you never contacted the EAWST. We have not received a single email from you regarding your “concerns”?! Yet you openly state that you tried to contact us “repeatedly”?! It’s disgraceful Linda.. We are very open to discussions, after all we have answered a huge amount of emails concerning this project already. How can you criticize a project that you know nothing about ( since you never had the courtesy to contact us ) We are talking of two captive whale sharks here, that will be released. “Is that better than some finless whale shark on a beach somewhere?” Are you for real?!
I think you should invest your efforts to criticize the killing of thousand of these magnificent animals in your own country every year, that I would find truly admirable! Yes, I am talking about the Natal Shark Board. Have you raised your concerns about that massacre yet? After all you are South African, right?
I want to make one thing clear, we intend to one day breed whale sharks in captivity, our vision 2030. These plans are not on our main agenda, our main goal is to stop the killings of whale sharks here in Kenya ASAP, for that we need money, something that this project will provide. On another note; our whale shark sightings has dropped from 4.7 whale sharks per day (2006) to 0.2 whale sharks per day (2012) we cannot sustain ANY whale shark tourism with these numbers. Again you are wrong; no other country along the East African coast targets whale sharks, this ONLY happens in Kenya. On another “note” we are successfully catching plankton with a net the size of a mosquito net, it’s not a “industrial trawler” that will cause any damage to the marine environment. A juvenile whale shark is actually smaller than a manta ray which can reach a wingspan exceeding 6 meters. I suggest you contact us directly with your concerns in the future, I am sure you know how to, just in case; http://www.giantsharks.org
Looking forward hearing from you!
Volker Bassen/Founder EAWST
Ps, I shall then send you all the tagging data that was recently published.
November 25, 2012 at 6:12 pm
This is the last post I will be writing on this subject matter here, because now I feel that it is up to other people to write, comment, like it or not like it and formulate their own opinions.
I’ll admit that I didn’t quite explain myself as well as I should have, by the statement “Is that better than some finless whale shark on a beach somewhere?” I meant that for me it is equally tragic to see a shark dead and finned on a beach, as is seeing a big whale shark swimming around in captivity- it is my personal feeling and I am entitled to it, I just did not explain it very well and you might have misinterpreted that.
As to the future plans for breeding. There I made a mistake and should not have written “no future plans” – apologies for that.
Mr Bassen I look forward to reading the data, and I will be forwarding you all the emails I sent across to your address, the same address one finds on your website and your new website, along with the meta data to show when, where and what the emails were that I sent through. Maybe you can track them down.
And just a few extra points:
-“We cannot sustain ANY whale shark tourism with these numbers.” Why do you need to sustain tourism, surely it’s about conservation not just tourism? While tourism provides some of the income to keep conservation efforts going, I have seen many other projects get perfectly decent funding without a tourism aspect to their mandate-it is possible.
- I never said anything about an “industrial trawler”, just a trawler. In fact it’s rather interesting that you mentioned that you are using nets the size of a mosquito net. So a monofilament net then, basically one of THE most destructive nets used in fishing practices.
-“No other country along the East African coast targets whale sharks, this ONLY happens in Kenya.” Southern Mozambican waters contain a large, migratory population of whale sharks that have been specifically targeted by certain groups of fishers. Well documented by marinemegafauna.org. And as we are not entirely sure where whale sharks move along the coastline and how frequently, how can you possibly say that they are only targeted in Kenya?
Also I would like to know where you are getting the information about the “thousands of massacred whale sharks in South Africa every year”? If you are maybe referring to the issues around the use of safety swimming nets on beaches off Durban then maybe you should look at sharklife.org and the shark nets opposition group as they are the ones spearheading this.
Yes, I am South African, maybe you should check out what I fill my days doing on http://www.movingsushi.com- you see I don’t just work on a South African level, but a global level and more in the government policy, fisheries, technology, media and awareness arenas instead of just on one particular species. Because we all have our own particular roles to do when it comes to conservation and this is where I fit in. Other groups like the whale shark watch (www.whale sharkwatch.org) are working towards the management and conservation of whale sharks in Natal, and believe it or not the Natal Sharks Board as well. The South African public is incredibly vocal when it comes to marine conservation issues and killings like that I find it troubling why thousands of whale sharks in particular are being massacred and it has gone somewhat unnoticed. And while I cannot personally take on whale sharks issues just because of time and resources I am happy to backup and support others who are doing a good job.
And don’t worry, I do know how to get hold of you, in fact I’ve even visited EAWST before and will be doing so again, but you probably don’t remember me because, as Nicklas so non-offensively said, I am of course just a muppet.
February 21, 2013 at 8:01 am
This is great!
Closed areas allow us to study the animals more, and we may find out things we didn’t know before!
I think it’s a brilliant idea!
The more we can lean about these animals the more we may be able to help them.
I get what linda’s saying, but in the end, this will benefit the sharks more than it’ll hurt them.
Not to mention it will help the economy, and get people more interested in the sharks, which again, in turn, will promote more donations and research in these wonderful, wonderful animals.
April 2, 2013 at 12:07 pm
East African Whale Shark Trust/Seaquarium
I just recently found out that the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) has been made available
Proposed whale shark captivity project on the South Coast of Kenya. Comments on this project by the EAWST are being stimulated by submission of the Environmental Impact Assessment report on the project by GIBB Africa, in February 2013.
Full EIA report and links to comments on the EIA by leading East African Scientist Dr David Obura ( see the CORDIO link ) and other key organisations and scientists. Pretty damming and puts the project in proper perspective.
http://cordioea.net/whaleshark/