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Whale Shark Citizen Science

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
whale shark damaged fin

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