Growth Rates
Whale sharks are the largest fish in the sea. They grow upwards of twelve metres and sometimes as large as eighteen metres, although this is rare. All of the sharks in the Maldives are juvenile, their average size: only six and a half metres. The largest shark known to the team is ten metres long and the smallest is only two and a half metres.
One of MWSRP's aims is to determine how much the sharks grow each year. This is made possible through the high re-sighting record in the Maldives. The team knows one hundred and thirty individuals but has encountered the same individuals over seven hundred times.
Measuring
Probably the most challenging part of MWSRP's research is measuring each shark. Two members of the team will free-dive to the shark using a piece of thin rope, calibrated to a tape measure, they will place one end as close as possible to the shark's nose while the other extends the rope toward the caudal (tail).
Each metre is marked on the rope enabling the team to determine the length of each shark, even before leaving the water.
The MWSRP is the only team in the world consistently measuring each individual repeatedly. This is made possible through the high number of re-sightings, and the year round whale shark population here in the Maldives. Over the past four years the growth of a number of sharks has been recorded and the data will soon be analysed for publication.
