About The Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme
The Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP) exists to conduct whale shark research projects and to foster community focused conservation initiatives throughout the Maldives.
The programme is a registered charity that exists primarily through generous donations from private and corporate donors, along with various sponsorship deals.
The programme also has volunteer opportunities available and MWSRP merchandise can be purchased from our online shop.
The MWSRP was founded in 2006 as a research programme by an international team of biology related graduates. It quickly evolved into a charity with broader conservation goals. The whale shark research provides the science behind those conservation goals, including the development of the recently announced Marine Protected Area in South Ari Atoll.
The team are making huge steps through the pioneering research into the demography and movements of the whale shark population in the Maldives. Please visit the research pages for more information.
The MWSRP is based in the South Ari Atoll. The search for whale sharks takes the team up and down the southern outer reef of the Atoll (now the Maldives' newest and largest Marine Protected Area: FenMaaDhiguRan) which is one of the few places in the world where whale sharks aggregate year round. The team also collaborate with biologists working in Baa Atoll to the north. Click here for a map of the study area.
The MWSRP's overall scientific objectives are to answer the many whale shark unknowns and to contribute the findings to educate the public and to protect and conserve a magnificent species of fish whilst creating a perpetual Maldivian managed programme that will continue with and expand, not only the current research but also provide the local community with education and conservation initiatives.
About the Whale Shark
The whale shark is the largest fish on our planet. But despite their great size very little is known about these colossal fish. By determining the answers to some of the unknowns we (mankind) will be able to enhance protection efforts to prevent another species from becoming extinct. The IUCN have categorized the whale shark as vulnerable, stating that they expect a worldwide population decrease of twenty - fifty percent in the next one hundred years.
Whale sharks take about 30 years to reach sexual maturity and the vast majority of whale shark encounters happen with immature male sharks. The continued illegal fishing and/or finning of sharks will have catastrophic consequences to the survival of the species. Shark's major predator is man. With your help we can attempt to reverse the Global trend of shark numbers rapidly decreasing.
Above photos all taken by the MWSRP in the Maldives
The Maldives are unique in the Indian Ocean in that they host a year round population of whale sharks, making the archipelago a superb place to study their biology and behaviour.
The Maldives relies heavily on tourism, much of it underwater related. As such the whale shark is an extremely valuable asset economically but, in many ways, an unknown quantity ecologically. The MWSRP is helping to solve some of the mysteries surrounding this fantastic fish and empower local communities to manage ways of sharing them with tourists sustainably.
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island (Hilton Hotels) are currently contributing towards the MWSRP's costs during field work periods and Ocean Dancer (in partnership with Peter Hughes Diving) are the charity's newest sponsors, providing imperative funds helping to ensure the research continues. This enables the programme to cover extra costs through any additional small grant sponsorships obtained. Longer term funding is currently required for the MWSRP's goals to be realised and to develop a permanent field station facility. For more information about funding and sponsorship please click Get Involved or to make an instant donation please click the red make a donation button to the left or visit our Just Giving page.
Please explore this site to further understand and join the MWSRP in its cause.- to protect the whale shark.