Initial results of the Megaptera project

The Delanchy Group is supporting a whale shark conservation project.

Between 4 and 11 of January 2020, the crew of the Megaptera Association was in the open sea off Djibouti. This expedition provided an opportunity to conduct photo-identification of several whale sharks but also to place satellite tags on some animals in the area.

This was the most important stage of the expedition. A unique moment for observers to watch these animals in their natural environment. The tags attached to their backs will then follow their habits and movements.

A question to Ludwig of Nausicaá, who was involved in the project:

• “Why is this whale shark contact mission important?”
• “The aim of this project, beyond expanding our knowledge of the living environment and movements of these animals, is to raise public awareness of the disappearance of sharks in general and to explain how each of us can make a difference.”

The whale shark is now an endangered species. The Delanchy Group is supporting this project with the aim of protecting it but also conserving marine biodiversity more generally.

Our seafood produce transport and logistics business lines are closely linked to the marine environment and its resources. It is essential we work to protect them.

The tag gives its first signals with encouraging results.

The teams of the Megaptera Association have just received the first signal since 7 January 2020, when the tag was placed on a 4-metre whale shark.

The whale shark had moved underwater from Goubet where the tag was attached to where the recent signal was emitted off the coast of Somaliland.

Why just one signal? The explanations of the Megaptera Association team for this are reassuring:

“The tag does not emit a signal when the shark is moving deep underwater. If the tag had become detached, it would have given several positions in the same area, which it has not done.”

The animal to which the Delanchy Group tag was attached has covered this distance underwater at an average depth of 40 metres. It seems to have taken an identical course to one identified in a previous project in 2016.

The Berbera region, Somaliland, seems to be a good feeding ground for these animals. It is a place where whale sharks can find food on the surface of the water. The conditions are therefore ideal for these young animals.