30 August is International Whale Shark Day. It is sad to note that this is the first such day since its inception that these amazing animals have ben classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Research suggests a decline in population numbers of between 40 to 92% over the past 75 years. The reasons for this are all human caused: Overfishing, catch as by-catch in net fisheries and ship strike count as the most pertinent causes.

Perhaps overriding this a simple lack of knowledge about the these sharks and their mating and migratory patterns.