Whale Sharks

Category: Education | Date: Jan 21 2008 | By: admin

We are getting ready for our annual whale shark research expeditions which will run from February 18. This year our scientist from HUBBS Seaworld Research Institute will arrive with 15 satellite tags. That is HUGE if you count that one tag is worth USD5000. Last year we deployed 3 satellite tags. This year we hope to deploy all 15. It will be history in the making!

We have also had donated from the WCS an accoustic array and will work together to set up the first accoustic array in Kenya. The array of tags and gear is currently somewhere between Diani beach and Belize, so we will let you know when the equipment arrives. We are very excited about starting a new type of research. The accoustic tags are a lot cheaper at about USD200 each and the beacons are around USD500. We will put the beacons at various whale shark hot spots along our coast line, starting in Diani. When a tagged shark comes within a certain radius of the beacon it is recorded and we can gather data on how faithful the whale sharks of Diani are to this area. Eventually we will have beacons all along our coast and that way we can see how faithful our Kenyan whale sharks are to these waters.

We still do not have an official sponsor and desperately need help to make the research expeditions work. Specifically we need funds for the spotter plane as the fuel is very expensive and the plane is crucial in helping us spot the sharks. So if you can help us even in just a small (or BIG) way, please do! You can ADOPT a shark if you want by helping us buy more tags or contributing towards a tag. You will then be able to name the shark when we tag it and we will send you updates whenever it is tracked.

Then when your friends ask if anything exciting happened to you today you can say that you adopted a whale shark

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