According to a new report from Ningaloo Reef, the number of whale sharks in its waters is on the increase. The study, published in the journal Endangered Species Research (ESR), was made possible thanks to ECOCEAN – a new type of online photo-identification technology.

The system works by encouraging members of the public to send in their photos of whale shark, photos which are then stored in the in a database. Once they are in the data base, scientist can identify each whale shark using the pattern-recognition software.

Baby whale shark in the Phillipines.
Picture by WWF PF. Support WWF

The new technology in combination with the aid of citizens makes it easier for scientists to learn more about the migratory habits of the whale shark, the world’s larger fish. Prior to the 1980’s there were no more than 350 confirmed sightings of whale shark around the globe.

Since the project first began in 1993, over 500 new individual whale sharks have been discovered at Ningaloo Reef.

“Why are more and more juveniles arriving on the reef? It’s unclear, but it’s positive news,” says Jason Holmberg, lead author of the study.

Brad Norman, founder of the ECOCEAN whale shark project and Murdoch University, says the research shows that whale sharks can increase where they are well-protected.

“We have also demonstrated the power of citizen-science, that ordinary people around the world can make a real contribution to serious research and conservation,” he says. “Thanks to increasing levels of data collection, we’re finally able to estimate how many whale sharks appear annually, how long they typically remain at Ningaloo Marine Park (NMP), their patterns of arrival and departure and shifts in their population structure.”

In some countries whale sharks are still harvested commercially, while others have shifted over to whale safaris which can generate a substantial income through ecotourism. The researchers from Curtin University have shown that whale shark ecotourism can be advantageous for local communities around whale shark ‘hotspots’ such as the Ningaloo Reef.

“Our results indicate that without whale sharks at Ningaloo Marine Park (NMP) up to $4.6 million* would be lost from the local economy,” says Norman.

The success of the online collaboration between scientist and citizens has prompted researchers to issue a worldwide call to vacationers and divers to join in a global effort to monitor and protect the whale shark. You can find more information at www.whaleshark.org.

* 4.6 million AUD equals roughly 3.4 million USD