Baby boom in the blue

Earlier this month, a fisherman of the Saurashtra coast came upon a rare creature in his net - a whale shark pup. This has raised hopes among scientists that the whale shark may be breeding off the Gujarat coast

On May 7, Mohan Solanki was fishing 20 nautical miles away from Sutrapada, Junagadh. Suddenly, his boat swung alarmingly as his net strained with something heavy underwater. Solanki pulled in his net and was surprised to find a whale shark pup squirming in it. This was the first sighting of a pup in nearly four decades. Solanki cut the net and set the pup free.

But this was not the sole incident of a baby-whale shark sighting in the area. Says B C Choudhary, senior advisor to Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), "A fisherman had rescued a pup earlier this year in March as well. So, it is likely that there may have been pup sightings and even rescues that were not officially reported."

Experts are excited, since the whale shark is not known to breed in the sea off Gujarat. Rachel Graham, whale shark expert and member of the scientific advisory committee of the Whale Shark Conservation Project, undertaken by the Gujarat Forest Department and Tata Chemicals , said of the May 7 incident, "The sighting or capture of a sub-meter whale shark is very rare. This particular pup looks like it was probably born this year, and its capture off the coast of Gujarat suggests that whale sharks are pupping in the area."

Habitat of the big fish
The whale shark is the largest fish in the world (whales are larger, but they are mammals). It is a 'filter feeder' like baleen whales - it feeds on small animal and plant life like plankton and krill by sucking them into its mouth. This fish is usually found in the tropical parts of the world's oceans, roughly between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. "In South and West Asia, their favourite haunts include the coasts of Gujarat in India, Sindh and Makran in Pakistan, the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. Whale sharks are found in these regions because of their preference for such waters. An animal chooses an area as a breeding site if it provides a good environment for raising pups," says Choudhary. "There are no historical records of the Gujarat coast being a whale shark breeding site. But fishermen have always known about this species and often sight females and pups there, but these usually go unreported."

Whether the whale sharks found off the Gujarat coast are permanent residents or are visitors from elsewhere is a subject of research. "We are studying whether whale sharks in Gujarat are confined here - between the east African coast and India - or whether transoceanic migration takes place," informs Choudhary.

Human threats and conservation
The whale shark has no natural predator except humans. In Gujarat, the species has long been hunted for two purposes: its liver oil is used for smearing the hull of fishing boats to make it water-proof, and its meat is used for the production of fishmeal for poultry. In the last century, a more sinister reason has been added in the form of shark fin soup. Whale sharks, like other shark species, are being hunted for their fins, which are used in this East Asian delicacy.

In May 2001, the whale shark was listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The Whale Shark Conservation project, launched in 2004, has been successful in educating the fishermen, who, like Solanki, now release whale sharks caught in their nets. Tourism is another way, experts hope, to help the gentle giant. The whale shark may be the size of a bus, but it is playful and poses no threat to humans. "Tourism can be a good revenue generator for fishermen and can make economic sense for its conservation," feels Choudhary.