The Philippines is home to the second largest known population of whale sharks in the world. The species is listed as endangered due to continued population declines in the Indo-Pacific. Knowledge about the connectivity within Southeast Asia remains poor, and thus international management is difficult. Here, we employed pop-up archival tags, data mining and dedicated effort to understand an aggregation of whale sharks at Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines, and its role in the species' conservation. Between Apr and Oct 2018, we conducted 159 surveys identifying 117 individual whale sharks through their unique spot patterns (96.5% male, mean 4.5 m). A further 66 individual whale sharks were identified from local operators, and data mined on social media platforms. The satellite telemetry data showed that the whale sharks moved broadly, with one individual moving to Sabah, Malaysia, before returning to the site <1 year later. Similarly, another tagged whale shark returned to the site at a similar periodicity after reaching the Malay-Filipino border. One individual whale shark first identified in East Kalimantan, Indonesia by a citizen scientist was resighted in Honda Bay ~3.5 years later. Honda Bay is a globally important site for the endangered whale shark with connectivity to two neighbouring countries, highlighting the need for international cooperation to manage the species.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6868279 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-53718-w | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Climate-driven global redistribution of an ocean giant predicts increased threat from shipping.
Nat Clim Chang
October 2024
Marine Biological Association, The Laboratory, Plymouth, UK.
Article Synopsis
- Climate change is causing shifts in animal habitats, particularly affecting the distribution of threatened marine species like whale sharks.
- Projections indicate that by 2100, whale sharks could lose more than 50% of their core habitat in some areas, with significant geographic shifts that could place them in closer proximity to large ships.
- The increase in whale shark interaction with shipping is expected to be dramatically higher under high emission scenarios compared to sustainable development, highlighting the urgency for better climate-threat predictions in conservation strategies for endangered marine life.
Spinal deformity in a whale shark, Rhincodon typus (Smith 1828), encountered in the northern Gulf of Mexico, with notes on its movement patterns.
J Fish Biol
December 2024
Office of International Affairs, Trade and Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service, Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA.
This note details the first formal report of a spinal deformation in whale sharks, Rhincodon typus. An individual whale shark with suspected kypholordoscoliosis was observed at Ewing Bank in the Gulf of Mexico during aggregation events in 2010 and 2013. Despite the significant deformity, the shark was observed feeding on fish eggs at the surface during both encounters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeterochrony and Oophagy Underlie the Evolution of Giant Filter-Feeding Lamniform Sharks.
Evol Dev
March 2025
College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
Article Synopsis
Lessons from a Rubik's Cube to solve the biodiversity crisis.
Conserv Biol
November 2024
UWA Law School and UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Article Synopsis
- Global biodiversity is under serious threat, raising doubts about current conservation governance systems and their ability to prevent species extinction.
- Recent conferences, like COP15 and COP19, have brought renewed optimism for addressing these challenges, but significant barriers still hinder conservation efforts.
- To tackle these issues effectively, the text emphasizes the need for alignment among legal, ecological, and sociocultural aspects of conservation, using the Rubik's cube as a metaphor to illustrate the complexity and necessity for integrated solutions.
Evidence to inform spatiotemporal management of a western Pacific Ocean tuna purse seine fishery.
Ecol Appl
December 2024
MARBEC IFREMER, IRD CNRS, University of Montpellier, Sète, France.
Article Synopsis
- - This study examines how managing the timing and location of tuna purse seine fishing in the western Pacific can help protect at-risk species that may get accidentally caught, known as bycatch.
- - Using advanced statistical models, researchers identified "hotspot" areas where certain species, like silky sharks and whale sharks, are more frequently caught, which can guide better management practices.
- - The research suggests that by shifting fishing effort away from these hotspots and enhancing communication among fishermen, there could be a balance between catching target fish and protecting vulnerable species, although more research is needed on the practicality of these strategies.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!