Whale Shark
· Whale Shark Habitat
· Whale Shark Food
· Whale Shark Behaviour
· Conservation Status
· Whale Shark Pictures
· Whale Shark facts

Whale Shark Conservation Status

According to the IUCN list the whale shark is supposedly a vulnerable species. That means that although there is no immediate danger towards the whale shark there is no idea to increase the dangers and they need to be kept under close surveillance in order to keep a record of their current numbers and in which direction it is going. Maybe they will be just fine, or maybe they will end up an endangered species on the brink of extinction, time will tell.

Conservation status (Whale Shark) – Commercial fishing

One of the whale sharks greatest dangers is that some countries target them for commercial fishing, especially the Philippines has proven to be a threat towards the species since they are a major source of food. The problem is not easily solved by forbidding the Filipinos from fishing for whale shark, they need some kind of compensation for the loss of food and since no one owns the oceans there is no one to pay for it.

Conservation status (Whale Shark) – Protection

Just recently whale sharks have become popular attractions at a wide variety of large scale aquariums such as the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan and the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. Taiwan exported four live whale sharks to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and although one eventually died scientists has now begun to stimulate the whale sharks into mating. Although still unsuccessful there is still time for the whale sharks to settle in and, with hope, bring new young whale sharks into this world.