The Growing Need For Whale Shark Conservation

From profit to people and to the planet, an effective CSR policy is a vision of this triple-bottom line concept. Maintaining bio-diversity is as important as producing quality products. A Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) survey in 2004 revealed low awareness amongst Gujarat fisherman on the endangered status of whales.

Project ‘Whale Shark Conservation’ at Mithapur, Gujarat has claimed to have rescued and released over 601 whale sharks as of July 2016, since its conception in 2004. It has jointly been launched by Tata Chemicals, Wildlife Trust of India, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Gujarat Forest Department, the Coast Guard, the Indian Navy, the Ministry of Environment and Reef.

This initiative has en done inorder to spread awareness, educate and change perceptions about the fish among specific target groups in the region. No change can be brought about without the support of all stakeholders. That is how the support from the fishing communities of Veraval, Sutrapada and Dhamlej region has aided in reaching the third phase. Till date, the brand asserts that a 601 whale sharks which were incidentally caught in the fishing nets of the locals have been rescued and released.

Official figures reveal that before 2001, over 150 whale sharks were poached along the Gujarat coast. Independent figures however put this number at 500. Despite the efforts of the rescue team, a large number of whale sharks were dying due to entanglement and stress induced by the extensive travel time taken by the rescue team to reach the site. To speed up the release, a self-photo documentation process was initiated and 1200 water proof cameras were distributed to fishermen in Sutrapada, Dhamlej and Veraval since 2012. The captured images of a rescue by fisher men served as evidence to prove the damage to nets and claim financial relief from the government.

In the next phase of the Whale Shark Conservation programme, a whale shark satellite as well as marker tagging programme will be initiated. So far, four whale sharks have been tagged with satellite transmitter to understand the migratory patterns of the specie. Moreover, more than 132 fishermen are trained on deploying marker tags on the rescued fish that could reveal more about the population.

“A few challenges did come up in this journey, for example, despite the efforts of the rescue team, a large number of whale sharks were dying due to entanglement and stress induced by the extensive travel time taken by the rescue team to reach the site. Going forward, the team will be taking the Whale Shark Conservation Project from the west coast to the east coast, with support from the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department, EGREE Foundation and IUCN,” said Alka Talwar, Head- Sustainability, Tata Chemicals Ltd.

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The CSR Journal Team