Heather Spence, Marine Biologist

Below is a picture I took today off Isla Mujeres, Mexico, of the dorsal fin of a whale shark that was damaged by a boat propeller. Unfortunately, whale sharks get hit and hurt (sometimes fatally) by people in boats. Indeed, people being reckless or simply unaware can cause damage. To protect whale sharks, people will have to be the solution. Researchers are asking everyone who sees a whale shark to help. Individual fish can be identified by scars or by the unique pattern of spots behind their gills.  You can find out how to help researchers track whale sharks by going to the ECOCEAN website.

What we don’t understand about whale sharks would fill the oceans. Learning more about whale sharks will help us to coexist with them.

whale shark damaged fin

The largest whale shark aggregations ever reported in the world have been found off Isla Mujeres. Here are some pictures I took there today with the kind help of John and Adriana of Ceviche Tours. Everywhere I looked there were whale sharks. Incredible! These huge fish move slowly so I hope boaters will stop and enjoy watching them, or slow down and avoid the area.

MANY WS fins on the water

WS at surface

One type of ID tag at dorsal fin base

Remoras are often found with WSs. This fish has a round suction disk on its head, with which it can attach itself to WSs and other marine animals, enabling it to ride along

WS mouth - open to feed on plankton

Thank you to Alberto and Arturo Morteo (Banana Tours and Puesta del Sol) for guiding us on an amazing whale shark adventure Monday! We were off the coast of Holbox Island at the very northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, where unique upwelling conditions attract whale sharks and other sea animals to feed in the nutrient-rich waters. We swam with several beautiful whale sharks, who actually came to us when we entered the water. We also watched graceful rays ‘fly’ just below the surface, and dolphins with their calves, one of which was nursing. Wow! As we headed back to shore, a huge swath of orange along the beach turned out to be a flock of brilliantly colored flamingos! And hundreds of pelicans filled other beaches. Holbox is a very special place. The people are trying to protect their natural resources by directing their economy toward tourism to take some of the pressure away from excessive fishing. Hooray!

Photo: Nick Giacobbe

^ Swimming with WS

Photo: Nick Giacobbe

^ WS

Photo: Nick Giacobbe

^ a Manta Ray flaps by!

Photo: Nick Giacobbe

^ Flamingos!

Photo: Nick Giacobbe

^ Alberto and his son Arturo with their green boat The Ely Queen

Photo: Nick Giacobbe

^ Returning to shore, we saw this whale-shark-shaped image in the sky, which was an ominous dark cloud. We were a bit concerned but Alberto and the other locals were unfazed. Sure enough, the storm completely missed us.