In order to raise awareness of the problem of whale shark endangerment while keeping it as a source of revenue for the country, ecotourism has proven to be an effective and healthier alternative to the selling of whale shark meat for revenue. In fact, from the high volume of tourists coming into these bays and villages for whale shark tourism, the locals are starting to realise that the value of a live whale shark could well be more than that of a dead one. In interacting with the whale sharks and getting to know more about these creatures, there is a larger potential for both the locals and the tourists to develop a love for the whale sharks. Thus, ecotourism not only contributes to the economy of the country, but they also raise awareness of the situation and instil in people a love for these animals which would serve as a powerful motivation for behaviour change.
One large contributing factor to the success of whale shark tourism is the nature of these marine creatures, as they are charismatic megafauna. They have a widespread appeal due to their reputation of being highly sociable and human-friendly, and this is coupled with the fact that they are widely known to be the largest fish in the world. With these characteristics, people would pay to come and have their pictures taken with these friendly giants, hence contributing to the demand for this industry.
Whale shark tourism would include activities such as shark watching, diving, taking photographs, and in some cases (although ethical issues about this have been raised), touching the whale sharks. Quite a few countries in Southeast Asia are known for their whale shark tourism programs, such as in the case of Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. In fact, the Philippines is well-known to be one of the world’s best whale shark watching sites, with Donsol being named the “Whale Shark Capital of the World”.
THE PHILIPPINES
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Whale Shark Tourism in Donsol
The whale shark ecotourism program is widely known to be a highly ethical avenue for whale shark watching, as the whale sharks are protected and monitored by the local people and volunteers of WWF and local NGOs. Tourists also have to abide by strict rules to ensure that the whale sharks would not be harmed, such as not having more than 6 swimmers per shark, a limited number of boats in the area, a ban on scuba diving in the area, and no feeding of sharks in any way. Whale sharks there are also free to roam the waters, and humans are assured that these sharks do not threaten their safety. Apart from instilling in people a love for these creatures, early reports show that the ecotourism in Donsol has seen 7200 visitors in 2005, generating an estimate income of US$208,000. More than 300 jobs were also created as a result of this, with 200 fishermen gaining seasonal employment from the whale shark ecotourism.
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Whale Shark Tourism in Oslob, Cebu
On the other hand, ecotourism in Oslob is not as ethical as Donsol’s ecotourism program. Many of the fishermen attract whale sharks by feeding them to ensure that there is a steady population of whale sharks in the region. The local community imports planktons and krill, keeping the whale sharks in Oslob even far beyond the seasons of planktons and krills. This not only affects the natural diet of the whale sharks, it is also very likely to affect the breeding of the whale sharks and the general health of the ecosystem. Furthermore, tourist behaviours are not regulated here, and there have been many instances of boat collisions with whale sharks in this area, as they swim towards the boats in hopes of being fed. In fact, in a three-year study conducted by LAMVAE (Philippine’s local NGO) on whale shark behaviour and tourist compliance to local codes of conduct in 2015, results showed that the rules were broken 97% of the time. As such, although ecotourism in Oslob is bringing in a lot of money for the locals, it is not necessarily really helping the whale shark situation as their actions do cause stress and harm to the animals.
INDONESIA
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Whale shark tourism at Cendrawasih Bay
The sighting of whale sharks at the Southern part of the Cendrawasih Bay Marine Park is known to be a recent occurrence. One thing that the locals working at the Cendrawasih Bay pride themselves in is the fact that ever since the whale sharks came over this area, they have been sighted all year round- and this is unlike the seasonal nature of whale shark tourism in most countries. In fact, it has been claimed that there are around 300 whale sharks living in Cendrawasih Bay. Coupled with the clear waters that allow for high visibility, this reputation has resulted in a high volume of people choosing this place as their whale shark tourism spot.
Research has shown that whale sharks are generally drawn to the Cendrawasih Bay due to the coastal lift-net fishing operations in the areas nearby. These operations involve trapping high volumes of small fish in large nets, attracting the whale sharks to the scent of these fish when they are injured from being caught up in the nets. As such, ethical controversies arose from this, as some argue that whale sharks a species that are highly vulnerable to bycatch, and the large nets can be a possible danger to the whale sharks. That said, the locals tried to deal with this problem by baiting the whale sharks with sardines, in an effort to cause them to avoid the large nets of small fish. However, some are still uncomfortable with the whole culture of baiting and the use of nets which intrinsically pose a threat to the whale sharks.
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Whale shark tourism in Gorontalo, Botubarani Village
Whale shark tourism in this area is also known to be one of the more ethical whale shark watching areas. This was not the case in the past when the whale sharks were first sighted (according to a local news article), however the Bone Bolango Administration has taken measures to ensure that tourists adhere to strict whale shark watching rules. The administration even declared a 10,000 sq meter area located near the shoreline and the fishing area, to be the play area for the sharks- and humans are not allowed to enter this zone, with the exception of authorised officers. In addition, motorboats are not allowed as the sound and bubbles are known to disturb the whale sharks especially if they are in close range. The usual limits placed on whale shark tourism has also been strictly enforced, such as bans placed on touching the sharks, going too near to them, and flash photography. This has been a new source of revenue for the locals, as parking lots turn into whale shark watching zones- and locals can also be seen selling food to the tourists who stand by to watch the sharks.
THAILAND
One of the reasons why whale sharks are attracted to Thailand are due to its warm waters and health of the marine ecosystem, attracting not just whale sharks but also many other creatures, big and small. The government is careful to keep the health of the marine ecosystem by protecting the corals, and their commitment to keeping the waters healthy is evident through their willingness to even close down dive sites if they damage the corals. Since whale sharks get attracted to places with warm waters and healthy ecosystems, they can be found in various parts of Thailand, but among the more popular dive sites where whale sharks are frequently spotted is in Richelieu and Koh Tao. Companies that bring divers out to these areas need to be registered, and the process of registration also includes them taking courses on the proper care and protection of these marine creatures. Safety rules also have to be abided to, for the good of not just the tourists but also the animals.
IN CONCLUSION,
Ecotourism can indeed prove to be one of the most effective ways to conserve whale sharks, however, the reality is that in many commercialised whale shark tourism sites, increased revenue comes at the expense of the health of the marine ecosystem, causing more damage than good to the whale sharks. Thus, much work still needs to be done for whale shark tourism to be better managed, such that it is a mutually beneficial situation instead of an exploitative one.