Simon Pierce
Simon Pierce has been studying whale shark ecology and conservation since 2005 at a 'hot-spot' for the sharks at Tofo Beach, Mozambique. His team at the Manta Ray & Whale Shark Research Centre (www.giantfish.org) and international collaborators are researching the population size and structure of Mozambican whale sharks, their residency patterns and the linkages between this site and other known feeding areas in the western Indian Ocean and beyond. The photographic identification of individual sharks is fundamental to this work, and Simon has submitted over 450 encounters to the ECOCEAN database.IUCN Red List 2008 - Status of the world's marine species
Written by IUCN - Species Survival Commission
The oceans are home to a large percentage of Earth’s biodiversity, occupying 70 percent of its surface and, when volume is considered, an even larger percentage of habitable space. However, there is growing concern that a broad range of marine species are under increased risk of extinction and that marine biodiversity is experiencing potentially irreversible loss due to a number of threats that include over-fishing, bycatch, climate change, invasive species and coastal development.Emerging Explorer
“National Geographic is proud to have Brad Norman as a member of the Emerging Explorer class of 2008. He exemplifies National Geographic’s mission to inspire people to care about the planet with his visionary work with whale sharks. The time is now for us to all focus on the plight of our oceans. There are few better flagships for that protection than the biggest fish in the sea - the whale shark.”
Gil Grosvenor
The Blue Planet
“Stunning views from space have taught us all that we live on “The Blue Planet”. But this inspiring phrase fails to bring home to us some even more important points: the blue ocean that distinguishes our earthly home is also a vital living realm … the largest habitat on our planet, in fact … and our own terrestrial lives are linked inextricably to it. As go the seas and the life they contain, so will we quite likely go.”
Kathryn Sullivan
ECOCEAN’s methods are a great example
“As long as whale sharks prosper and coral reefs thrive, there is reason for hope that humankind will achieve an enduring relationship with the ocean, the cornerstone of Earth’s life support system. The dramatic loss of reefs and the shocking decline of sharks, large and “The world’s oceans are in trouble. We need ready, inexpensive ways to develop our picture of where marine systems are at, so that we can begin the task of restoring them. ECOCEAN’s methods are a great example of participatory science and whale sharks themselves are beautiful emblems for marine conservation. They open debates about the need to protect both the species and the critical habitats that sustain them. The fact that whale sharks cross international boundaries should unite us in our concern and in our efforts.”
Tim Winton
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