The story of a unique treatment to a campaign to spread awareness on conservation of a lesser known species

1. Turning the Tide:
A conservation campaign success story
from India
Dhiresh Joshi, Aniruddha Mookerjee, Rupa Gandhi Chaudhary
Vivek Talwar and Vivek Menon

2. Whale Shark Range along Gujarat Coast
Fishing towns and villages where whale sharks were harvested
prior to 2001

3. 2001-2007: The Wins…
In 2001, Whale Shark was
the first fish to be
protected under Schedule I
of the Indian Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972
In 2002, the Whale Shark
was listed under Appendix II
of CITES (India was a co-
proponent with the
Philippines)

4. 2002-2005 : Six towns In and around the
campaign target area adopts the whale shark
as their mascot
Porbandar
Okha
Diu
Ahmedabad
Dwarka
Veraval

5. March 12, 2005– Special Whale Shark Postal
Cover released

6. The Wins – Supporters giver “Barrel” a
new name: Vhali, the loved one

7. The Wins – Vhali’s young supporters

8. The Wins - The Campaign awarded Green Governance
Award by the Prime Minister of India
10 Nov 2005

9. The Wins
25 Dec 2006 Gujarat government announces
compensations up to US $ 575 for fishermen whose nets
may be damaged during whale shark releases

10. The Wins…the biggest of them all
Releases of Whale sharks
begin, within a year of the
campaign’s start

11. Whale shark release by fishermen
video
Amateur footage

12. Campaign update – 56 whale sharks
released since 2004
On 5 July 2008 in
Veraval, the Gujarat
forest department
acknowledged the
release of 56 whale
sharks since the start of
the campaign in 2004
And compensated boat
owners up to US $ 575
for nets damaged during
these releases

13. The Wins - Vhali Utsav 17 Feb 2007 and
Whale Shark Day 9 Dec 2007
About 5,000 people
(fishermen, school children,
NGOs and government
officials) participated in the
Whale Shark Vhali Utsav 2007,
in Veraval
Gujarat Forest Minister has
declared Karthak Amas, Dec 9
2007 annual Whale Shark Day
This is the FIRST time that a
day has been marked in honor
of a wild species in India.

14. Key Concepts
Goal: To conduct a conservation campaign among specific
target groups in the region to change perceptions,
impact awareness and educate in order to conserve the
whale shark in India
Campaign Strategies:
Position an ambassador (spiritual leader Morari Bapu)
Leverage traditional/ cultural ethics / taboos
Target school children & youth for groundswell
response
Create an immensely popular flagship through life-size
whale shark inflatable
Measure and monitor real shifts in attitudes through
surveys

15. Campaign Strategy
Religious and social leader Morari Bapu, made
Whale Shark Ambassador – January 20, 2004

16. Campaign Strategy
Leveraging cultural, emotional values
Ahimsa
Non Violence
Atithi Devo Bhava
Guest is God
Beti Maike aati hai
Daughter comes
home to give birth Street play

17. Campaign Strategy
Critical groundswell - school children and youth

18. Campaign Strategy
Critical groundswell - school children and youth

19. Campaign Strategy
Whale shark inflatable - popular flagship created
Street Play

20. Campaign Strategy
Whale shark inflatable - popular flagship created
Street Play

21. Reaching out in the local language

22. Key concepts carried to other campaigns
Tibetan Conservation Awareness Campaign
endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Spiritual ambassador, emotional/ cultural connect
& young people as targets

23. Key concepts carried to other campaigns
Fashion designer Ritu Kumar endorses
saving the Tibetan Antelope
Fashion made a pivot in
the Shahtoosh campaign

24. So what did the campaign actually
change?
Over 500 whale sharks massacred on the coast of Gujarat in 1999-
2000
Whale shark liver oil was used to waterproof boats; the meat had no
market in India but was exported; sold to exporters for 5 cents a kilo
by the fishermen
One whale shark of medium dimensions fetched about US$ 1125 to
US$ 2250 for its liver and meat
There were reports of young WS pups in the waters of Gujarat,
suggesting that whale sharks breed here
Whale sharks were called ‘barrel’ here, because that is what was
used as floaters to hunt them down once harpooned
Few, other than the hunters knew anything about whale sharks

25. Blood on the beach
Many fish-workers from villages along the Gujarat coast near Dwarka,
Veraval, Rupen and Okha were engaged in hunting of whale sharks

26. Campaign Goals Achieved
No poaching of Whale Sharks in Gujarat
reported for last 4 years
Increase in awareness (measured across 12
parameters) of the whale sharks’ existence and
legal status in India
State level pride built for the species
Whale Shark day to be celebrated every year
Transition of association from an exploited
species to an honored one

27. The Wins - scenes no longer witnessed on
these shores

28. Whale Shark Repositioned
From an unknown fish…
To the second pride of
Gujarat

29. International Press Coverage
En Inde ou la pêche a été interdite en 2001 les
pêcheurs attendent encore de voir venir les éco dollars
des touristes promis àou gentils géants des mers.
Requins Baleines tout va. Nous en avons rencontré
plusieurs début juin dans le Gujarat, ou pas moins de
1200 requins baleines avaient été ‘pris’ en 49jours lors
de la dernière saison légale .
Ibrahim Lathpaki est très fier:-"Ce tonneau, je l'ai pris
tout seul, il m'a fallu deux heures d'efforts pour le
ramener au village. J'ai été payé 90 000Roupees, pres
de 1650 Euros."
Le WTI a lancé cette année une campagne
d’information et de sensibilisation qui rencontre un vif
succès auprès du public mais ne réponds aucunement
aux attentes des pêcheurs à qui l’on a interdit de faire
vivre un peu mieux leurs familles.

30. The Future: Conservation through Eco
tourism
The whale shark is positioned to emerge as a
flagship species to develop marine tourism in
Gujarat
Link up with Whale Shark tourism operating
countries, learn from their experiences and
develop a viable tourism model for the state

31. The Future
Scientific study of whale shark migration along the
coast of India using Satellite Tags
Study of Whale Shark Habitat and Plankton Bloom
using Satellite Imagery
DNA Study and population estimate along the coast of
Gujarat

32. Acknowledgements
It is the collaboration of various
stakeholders that has led to the
success of the Whale Shark Campaign
Special thanks to
The local fishing communities
Tata Chemicals
Forest Department, Govt. of Gujarat
Morari Bapu
The Coast Guard
IFAW
National Institute of Oceanography
GHCL
The WTI team