Whale Sharks In Peril As Shipping Industry Expands

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Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world, and they're in trouble. As the shipping industry expands, these gentle giants are being injured and killed by ships at an alarming rate. Listen Now.

The whale shark is an iconic fish. It’s captured our imagination in popular culture, from being featured on stamps and currency, to starring in movies. However, their population has suffered an unexplained decline over the last few years, decreasing by over 50% over the last 75 years. Researchers have proposed that a likely culprit may be industrialized shipping. Over the last 25 years, the number of large merchant vessels has increased by over 50 times worldwide. Trade routes frequented by these ships often overlap with the shallow coastal waters where whale sharks gather in large numbers, potentially leaving these massive, slow swimmers vulnerable to lethal collisions.