The world’s largest fish—the whale shark—is among several species of migratory sharks recently singled out for protection by the UN due to severely declining populations and threatened status. At a December 2007 conference hosted by the Government of Seychelles, NGOs, fisheries and governments agreed “in principle” to promote conservation efforts for whale, basking, and great white sharks. A full agreement will be explored this year.

Whale sharks can travel over 8,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean in search of food and breeding grounds. They also “live a long time, don’t reproduce until a late age, and often need vast areas to survive. This makes them more vulnerable to threats like overfishing and habitat destruction,” said Zeb Hogan, a fisheries biologist, to National Geographic.

Not only that, but the tendency of whale sharks to swim far offshore also places them under precarious jurisdiction.

“While whale sharks may be protected [in some national waters], once they move 200 miles off the coast they are in the high seas, where fisheries remain almost completely unregulated,” said Hogan.

Whale sharks are not alone in their plight—nearly half of the 145 species of migratory sharks and rays are threatened with extinction. And no wonder; the UN’s FAO reported a global shark catch of 880,000 tons in 2003, up 17 percent in the past 10 years—a figure that doesn’t include the sharks caught for their fins, then thrown back
into the water to die.

One positive development for whale sharks is their status as an ecotourism attraction. Because they swim close to the surface and are harmless to humans, whale sharks are good underwater companions for divers and snorkelers alike.

Alex Antoniou, the La Paz field director for the Shark Research Institute, told National Geographic that “shark ecotourism is a renewable resource and an annual source of income. It creates a value for the shark as a living species as opposed to one that you find in the market.”

Still, ecotours to swim with whale sharks will be a moot effort if populations continue to plummet. An agreement outlining measures for protecting migratory sharks can provide a good foundation on which to build future conservation for these ancient creatures.