Doha: Qatar Whale Shark Conservation Forum 2023 has recommended for signing international conventions that conserve whale shark, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the Convention on the wildlife. Organized by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC), the Qatar Whale Shark Conservation Forum 2023 wrapped up yesterday
Commenting on the recommendations, Director of the Wildlife Development Department Mohamed Ahmed Al Khanji outlined that the forum stressed the importance of launching campaigns to assist sharks that are stranded in their course of migration.
He stressed the importance of conducting a rigorous tracking program to better comprehend the distribution of whale sharks and human activity’s impact on them, as well as setting guidelines for the responsible tourism to reduce disturbance in whale sharks and designate their breeding areas as natural reserves.
In addition, Al Khanji underscored the importance of co-opting a regional research team to further monitor and study whale shark in the Gulf region and Red Sea, as well as utilizing state-of-the-art technologies such as shark ultrasound in pursuit of evaluating its health in families, conducting a holistic survey for the Gulf region to identify its habitat and ensure encouraging sustainable eco-tourism.
He recalled the importance of the concerned entities’ coordination to hold awareness workshops for fishermen and formulate a set of effective rules and legislation to manage the migrating species such as whale shark, in addition to reporting death cases and capitalizing on the bodies of dead animals to be used in scientific and awareness purposes in research centers and museums, imposing fines in case of attacking or hunting whale shark.
Al Khanji emphasized the necessity of proposing a regional convention for GCC states to conserve whale shark and its habitats, forming rescue team at the MoECC to undertake the mission of rescuing sharks upon their entry to ports, as well as incorporating whale shark into the Convention on the Preservation of Wildlife and its Natural Habitats in GCC states.
Held by the MoECC in partnership with Unesco at the Aquatics & Fisheries Research Center in Ras Matbakh, the forum offered the delegations a chance to have a glimpse of the regulations and rules laid out by the MoECC to conserve and protect the life of whale shark.
