March 26, 20252024 was a hard one! This year marked our seventh field season. We were finally able to work directly from our research boat, Ad Astra, which made such a difference. Thanks to our volunteers, we were able to collect photo IDs, as well as additional data on the feeding ecology of whale sharks. We also launched our Science Days enabling us to be at sea more regularly, with skipper Noel and guide Thomas, student Mialisoa, scientist Armel and assistant Thibault.
THE 2024 SEASON IN NUMBERS
173 Boat Surveys
74 Shark Sightings
42 Different Sharks Seen
36 New Sharks Identified
539 Unique Sharks Seen Since 2015
78.6% Of Sharks Seen Were Male
2 Station Deployments
8 Acoustic Tags Deployed
842 Detections Of 54 Tagged Sharks
5 Skin Samples
23 Prey Samples
1 Master Student
16 Volunteers
1 New Key Biodiversity Area
1 New Publication on mobulid rays
68 guides & skippers trained
1 Meeting with Autorities
Very few whale sharks were observed this year, with sometimes several weeks between encounters. This is the lowest number ever recorded by our studies since 2015. Yet since 2022, the number of sharks identified is decreasing every year, with no clear explanation.
There are several plausible reasons, including but not limited to:
- Ocean warming & oceanographic processes
- A decline in the number of bait balls and presence of prey
- Changes in the feeding behaviour of the sharks
- The endangered status of the species
- The growth of whale shark tourism
- The reasons for the reduction in shark sightings are probably interconnected. We currently have very little visibility around the exact reasons. Discussions are underway with other whale shark scientists in the region who also experienced a very different year.
The Madagascar Whale Shark Project is an independent entity that addresses impactful issues in the fields of marine megafauna research, conservation and access to scientific education in Madagascar, 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..