For the study an Australian marine scientist, Brad Norman, worked with an astronomer, Zaven Arzoumanian, and a computer programmer, Jason Holmberg, to create software that, given photographic recordings of whale sharks, could identify the patterns of white spots and lines that cover the creatures. Each individual has a unique spot 'fingerprint'.
From 1995 to 2006, 5100 underwater images of whale sharks in the Ningaloo area were captured by hundreds of volunteers including scientific researchers and diving or snorkelling eco-tourists. The information was processed to give the solid conclusion that the area's population of whale sharks has grown over a lengthy period.
The study also identified that about two-thirds of the sharks are repeat visitors, indicating that encounters with humans have not put the creatures off coming back to Ningaloo. The study team commended the ecological effectiveness of Ningaloo's park guidelines for managing access by divers and others to view the creatures. Many tourists pay to be taken out to experience an encounter with whale sharks.
'Even though eco-tourism is occurring and there are people in boats and tourists in the water, etc, with whale sharks, as long as you give the sharks their space and don't over-exploit them, they will actually be quite comfortable and return to the area,' said Brad Norman.
Carefully orchestrated interactions had not only made it possible for people to 'swim and see how fantastic the largest fish in the ocean is', but had also made it possible to 'learn more' about whale sharks through worthwhile observation, including his own study, carried out in an unobtrusive way.
The study report was published on 28 December in the American journal Ecological Applications. |
