We use a variety of techniques to gather data and over time our insight has grown with research projects focussing on movements, size, sex, threats and the influence of environmental factors. Yet still, significant aspects of the whale shark’s life history in these waters remain a mystery.

Our research activities are based around time on the water collecting baseline data, which guides our scientific publications and advocacy efforts. This work is then used to inform decision-makers and the general public with an approach to involve people on a local and international level.

We aim to approach research and conservation with a holistic view; connecting with both local and international entities with a hope to demystify the scientific research process and reveal answers about the mysteries of the whale shark species.

What we have learnt about the Whale Sharks of the Maldives

The endangered whale shark is a highly mobile and deep diving animal presently facing a multitude of human related threats. At the core of MWSRP’s mission is the aim to learn more about this elusive gentle giant and feed into worldwide knowledge.

In 2009, our work on the core habitats of this species helped provide the baseline data needed for the creation of the Maldives largest protected area – the South Ari Marine Park (SAMPa). We hope to continue unravelling the secrets of this enigmatic fish so that informed visitors and local operators may enjoy and benefit from the presence of this species for generations to come.

We believe in open access and free distribution of information. The whale sharks and the environment we work to understand do not belong to us, so why should the things we find out? So we share here what MWSRP have learned about whale sharks in the Maldives over the last years:

• Big Fish Network has over 220 contributors over 840 whale sharks, + 8000 encounters, 72.5% male sex bias
• Re-encounter rate of individual whale sharks at SAMPA is very high over prolonged periods. For example, WS071 has been encountered more than 350 times in 16 years
• SAMPA is likely a ‘secondary nursery’ location for whale sharks which have grown above the juvenile period. In addition, sharks in this region are not seen again once they grow beyond 8m (corresponding to sexual maturity). It therefore appears SAMPA offers a critical habitat for sharks in this post-juvenile-pre-mature stage
• Whale sharks in the Maldives may exhibit annual intra-country migrations. Some individuals appear to follow a learned or habitual pattern of movements. Most individuals which have visited different atolls repetitively seem to be in those specific atolls at roughly the same time each year. This is likely tied to seasonal feeding opportunities.
• Whale sharks south of Huvadhu Kandu (One and a Half Degree Channel) may exhibit different demographics to the rest of the Maldives. Both neonate sharks and mature sharks exceeding 10m have been recorded.
• We published the first viable study on wild free swimming whale shark growth rates and age ranges, which you find here.
• Two studies concluded that there is no seasonality throughout the year for number of individual whale sharks in the SAMPA region. This is a globally significant aggregation.
• Coastal areas R. typus aggregate occur with a specific set of bathymetric requirements; shallow areas in close proximity to a reef slope or shelf break with steep gradient, which leads into water in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones. SAMPA fits exactly within this prediction. Why are whale sharks in SAMPA? They are likely feeding at depth and using surface waters for thermoregulation.
• Whale sharks in SAMPA show monsoonal movements across the atoll.
• Surface variables do not affect shark abundance on a given day. Likely that currents are a major predictor of whale shark presence or absence in the region;
• In SAMPA, positive correlation between higher chlorophyll-a concentration and shark presence at broad temporal scale