March 27, 2024Here we go! A little summary of our 2023 season. This year was particularly unusual, and our scientific activities were not as successful as usual. The unpredictable presence of whale sharks and the high number of boats at sea made it extremely difficult for us to work this year.
THE 2023 SEASON IN NUMBERS
173 Boat Surveys
243 Shark Sightings
88 Different Sharks Seen
36 New Sharks Identified
525 Unique Sharks Seen Since 2015
78.5% Of Sharks Seen Were Male
3626 Detections Of 47 Tagged Sharks
1 Master Student
20 Volunteers
2 Station Deployments
13 Acoustic Tags Deployed
1 New Law
2 New Important Shark and Ray Areas identified by IUCN
Indeed, the total number of whale sharks identified is much lower than in previous years. By comparison, we are seeing a 40% decline compared with the 2019 and 2022 seasons (our last two seasons, as we were not present in 2020-2021). What’s more, the proportion of new sharks identified is extremely low.
The year 2023 is also an El Nino year, well known for triggering warming episodes in the region. Water temperatures were unusually high, suggesting inherent changes in the composition and distribution of whale shark prey species and other predators in the region.
As let’s not forget: whale sharks are a globally endangered species and are known to decline in the Mozambique Channel region.
The Madagascar Whale Shark Project deliberately remains an independent entity to be able to address impactful issues in the fields of conservation, research and education in Madagascar, with while remaining a committed and collaborative project.
We thank everyone who has either helped, volunteered, donated or supported in one way or another. Thanks to you we can continue our important work.