Nearly Every Whale Shark at This Tourist Destination Bears Human-Made Scars

The largest live fish in the world has a lot to fear people. New research has shown that a large percentage of whale sharks in a famous tourist area and scars caused by human activity.

A large group of marine scientists examined more than a decade of sharks in the whale in the head of the bird off Indonesia. Among other things, they found that more than half of the sharks had been attributed to humans. The researchers say that many of these injuries were prevented, and simple measures can be taken to ensure the safety of these gentle giants to move forward.

“[The] “The high percentage of infected whale sharks shows that even in protected areas, whale sharks with fishing and tourism are still risks to them,” the author of the study author Styawan, the main memorization world at the Elasmobranch Institute, told Gizmodo.

Endangery giant

Following its title, whale shark (Rhincodon TypusCertainly huge.

As adults, they usually reach lengths between 30 and 40 feet (9 and 12 meters) and usually weigh about 18 tons; Some become bigger. Despite its size, although it is not a fierce sea monster. These slow -moving fish are a filter nutrient that absorbs their meals from the surrounding water. Although they can eat both large and small marine organisms, they usually adhere to microscopic plankton.

Whale sharks can be found in warm and tropical waters around the world, but their numbers have drew widely in recent decades, and classified them as a species threatened with extinction. They face many human -making threats, including fishing, climate change and design (unintentionally arrested by hunting boats). Even with the ongoing preservation efforts, their recovery was slow, in part that it may take up to 30 years until sharks reach sexual maturity.

Common damage but can be avoided

According to Eddie Citayan, previous studies looking for the health of these sharks have been limited to short -term surveys or clips of one location. In their new research, the team managed to analyze 13 years of scenes along the bird’s head (2010 to 2023) from four areas of the region.

Seascape is known for its diversity and is estimated to contain three -quarters of the coral species in the world, along with many other migratory species such as whale shark. Seascape is a famous marine tourism destination covered by a network consisting of 26 different marine protected areas.

Although researchers have largely studied the previous data they collected themselves, they also relied on the photos taken by tourism operators and citizens of citizens. They all told that they had identified 268 unique whale sharks. They found that nearly 200 of these sharks had visible injuries. Among them, 80 % were designed with humans (58.3 % who were wounded by natural causes, while some sharks were both).

On the positive side, severe injuries, including amputation, caused by humans are relatively rare (17.7 %). The most common injuries associated with humans were caused by sharks that collide with boats and cavity-stretching platforms decorated with networks and lights used to fish.

The team’s results were published on Thursday at the border in marine science.

Hunting and marine tourism are important parts of the local economy, including tours of the shark whale. Although the increasing popularity of these tours may lead to more infected sharks, researchers argue that this should not be inevitable.

They have put simple steps that can significantly reduce whale shark injuries, such as the most stringent regulations that would force Bagan fishermen and their owners to remove sharp edges from their platforms. Citayan said that the measures related to tourism, such as limiting the movement of boats, imposing slow -speed areas, and enhancing the responsible diving and diving practices, would reduce harm.

Not all of the team’s results are bitter. They have learned a lot about these majestic water monsters, including the main areas where they reside within Seascape. Most sharks have found that there are also young men of events, indicating that the region is an important nursery for species.

They are planning the following to track the annual demographic sharks trends of the whale shark that lives in Seascape via satellite brands, which should also help them answer important questions such as whether this population migrates elsewhere.