Photo I.D.
Each individual whale shark's spot pattern is much like a human fingerprint, in that each one is unique. We are virtually tagging the shark by taking the sharks I.D. photograph. Photo Identification is standard amongst research programmes and through sharing these images with other Indian Ocean research programmes we will know if the Maldivian sharks migrate as far as those study areas and vice versa.
The image required is primarily of the left side of the shark above the pectoral fin- encompassing the gills, the pectoral fin, and the area above the pectoral fin (although both sides of the sharks are recorded when possible).
These photos are run through computer software (I3S). The software searches the database for a known individual. If the pattern is not recognised a new shark is declared, numbered, and named and added to the growing database. The shark's size, sex, and any distinguishing marks or features, including scarring, are also recorded and entered into our database enabling MWSRP to record any growth, or any new scars.
Photographs and sighting records are collected from a wide range of sources to maintain a central database, storing information on the date and location of each sighting. Contributors currently include visiting researchers, resident marine biologists and dive operators, and a growing number of holiday makers are now also sending in photographs of their encounters. Whale shark tourism is big business in the Maldives, with regular whale shark safaris run by many resorts, leading to hundreds of whale shark sightings throughout the year.
With several whale shark research projects running simultaneously across the globe it is important that information flows between them. The Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme is already linking its own photo database with several similar databases in the Indian Ocean region, and will be contributing to the Shark Trusts' online photo database regularly to share information on a global arena.