Newswise — A project that will involve thousands of ordinary people in the conservation of whale sharks has led to a prestigious Rolex Award for Enterprise for marine biologist Brad Norman of ECOCEAN. Norman was presented with the international award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to humanity, science, and the environment, at a ceremony in Singapore on October 26, 2006.
Based on 14 years of study at Western Australia's Ningaloo Reef, Norman launched a worldwide project for to monitoring their status and abundance of whale sharks. Together with information architect Jason Holmberg (ECOCEAN) and astrophysicist Dr. Zaven Arzoumanian (NASA), Norman developed an on-line database used to identify individual whale sharks around the world using their unique spot patterns. The pattern-matching technology was adapted from software used by astronomers to locate celestial objects.
"This award is a great honor, and a testimony to the many people who have helped develop and add to the ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library," said Norman, principal investigator of the Earthwatch-supported Whale Sharks of Ningaloo Reef project.
Norman's project will involve thousands of individual divers and tourists, using ordinary underwater cameras to photograph whale sharks and log the images on the ECOCEAN database. These "citizen scientists" are joined by Earthwatch teams assisting Norman on Ningaloo Reef, one of the best places in the world to find whale sharks during the annual mass coral spawning event, April through June.
The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is the world's largest fish. First recorded in 1828, only 350 whale-shark sightings were recorded in the ensuing 150 years. Recent growth in underwater tourism has brought a surge in sightings. Yet the whale shark remains elusive, and the World Conservation Union (IUCN), which engaged Norman to assess the species, regards it as "vulnerable" to extinction.
The whale shark is one of only three sharks that are filter-feeders, eating only plankton and other tiny sea life. It has never been known to attack humans. Tagged individuals have been tracked for 13,000 kilometers across the Pacific, and 3,000 kilometers in the Indian Ocean. But the migratory patterns and overall movements of the species are not known. The ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library will help resolve that.
"The implications of this computer-aided identification technique and web-based photo library for management and conservation of whale sharks may be profound," said Norman. "The Library will enable us to gain better insight into the numbers of whale sharks that are surviving in the wild."
The Rolex Awards for Enterprise are presented annually to encourage visionary individuals around the globe, in the areas of science and medicine, technology and innovation, exploration and discovery, the environment, and cultural heritage. The awards providing the financial support and recognition these leaders need to implement innovative, working projects that advance human knowledge and wellbeing.
With the $100,000 Rolex Award, Norman is devoting two years full-time to his project, training local authorities, tourism operators and 20 research assistants around the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans to observe, record and protect whale sharks. In this way he will develop whale shark photography as a significant tool for conservation.
Norman also plans to explain to those who hunt the whale shark that there is more to be gained by leaving it alive. Ningaloo's whale sharks draw more than 5,000 visitors a year, generating ecotourism worth an estimated A$6 million, and prove that a live whale shark earns far more than a dead one, he says.
"The whale shark is worth saving " and we can do something about it," Norman says. "It is a big, beautiful and charismatic animal, and not dangerous. It is a perfect flagship for the health of the oceans."
Earthwatch volunteers from around the world will be helping Norman continue his conservation efforts on Ningaloo Reef next April through June. For more information on how you can help, call 800-776-0188.
Earthwatch Institute is a global volunteer organization that supports scientific field research by offering members of the public unique opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and researchers. Earthwatch's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. The year 2006 marks Earthwatch's 35th anniversary.
Be sure to watch A Year on Earth, a two-part special to debut on Discovery Kids Channel on December 3 and 10. A Year on Earth chronicles the adventures of three American teens who join several Earthwatch research projects around the world. Together, they discover how ordinary people can make a difference in the most pressing environmental issues of our time.
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