Works with: Project team
Location: WWF-Philippines Donsol, Sorsogon

Background and Rationale

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish in the world. It reaches up to 18 meters in length and is found in tropical and warm temperate seas throughout the world. It is a plankton-feeding shark but has occasionally been observed feeding on squid and small fish. It occurs in both oceanic and coastal waters, where these large creatures are encountered close to the surface individually or in aggregations of up to hundreds of individuals.
Donsol, Sorsogon is host to one of the largest aggregations of whale sharks in the world. Whale sharks are encountered during the months of November to early June with the most number of sightings in March and April. Photo identification of the Philippines whale shark population was initiated in 1997 by WWF-Philippines with the help of citizen science through volunteer works in Donsol, Sorsogon. In 2015, WWF-Philippines and Large Marine Vertebrate (LAMAVE) with the help of volunteers began collaborating and combining efforts for data collection. As of August 2018, there are 1,425 whale sharks in the Philippines, 513 of which were documented in the waters of Donsol since 2007. Twenty-two (22) new individuals were sighted during the 2018 season. Also, previous satellite tagging studies conducted by WWF-Philippines showed that whale sharks frequenting the Donsol waters are spending considerable time in other areas adjacent to the waters of Donsol.
Whale shark photo-identification is a contributing sound scientific basis to the global understanding of whale shark abundance and migration dynamics. Noted to have strong site fidelity to favorable feeding, whale shark returnees demonstrate the importance of Donsol as part of their migration pattern. A network of connectivity between aggregations has been identified and there was one the first whale shark to be matched internationally in South East Asia, covering the distance between Taiwan and Southern Leyte (>1600km) in 11 months. The trans-boundary movements of these giants are of increasing concern for their conservation in light of the continuous threats from target fisheries in Asia.
The economic benefits brought about by the ecotourism activities from whale shark interaction tours have a positive impact on the communities and Donsol as a whole. Over a 12 year period, the municipality’s classification has advanced from lower to a higher classification. This was attributed mainly from the revenues generated from the whale shark interaction tours.

Whale shark photo-identification through spots pattern-recognition

Computer-assisted photo-identification within online international database Wildbook for Whale Sharks formerly known as the ECOCEAN Library provides the means to identify individual animals and minimize the likelihood of misidentification. Photographs are taken while swimming alongside each whale shark and recording the white lines and spots along the flanks (pectoral fins) of the animal using either still or video cameras. Whale sharks are born with this unique body patterning, which is retained throughout their lives. This natural pigmentation shows no evidence of significant change for the whale sharks and may, therefore, be used to distinguish individuals. Pattern-recognition software was used for each initial identification, with the strict criterion that at least one properly-oriented, left-side pattern of spots extracted as (x,y) coordinates, be available for recognition of a shark as a candidate to confirm as a re-sight of an identified individual or a ‘new’ previously unrecorded shark within the Library.

Scope of volunteer work

In order to complete this task, the volunteer is expected to:

• Attend/complete the orientation on photo-id activity;

• Help project team in the collection of data on-board via joining in WSI;

• Data encoding and processing of whale shark photos and uploading to Wildbook Database for identification; and

• Preparation/submission of report upon completing the term to the project manager.

Working Arrangement

• The engagement of the volunteer with the project shall at least 1 month at the minimum and maximum of 3 months.
• The Project shall assist the volunteer in the coordinating work with tourism office, Butanding Interaction Officer (tour guide), and Butanding Boat Operators Association (tour boat) in preparation for and during the conduct of photo-id.
• The volunteer shall report directly to the Project Manager.
• The volunteer shall be provided access to facilities of WWF field office and staff house in the project site during the conduct of photo-id.
• The volunteer shall shoulder his/her meals and transportation during the term of volunteer work.
• The volunteer shall acknowledge WWF-Philippines as the owner of the project and all materials produced there from.
• The volunteer shall request in writing approval from WWF-Philippines prior to the use of any data derived from the project in any publication other than in-house use and to acknowledge the WWF staff involved in the research as co-authors.

Minimum work requirements

• Knowledge: Knowledgeable in marine science. Familiar with marine ecology and management.
• Skills:

• Excellent skills in swimming (preferably good skin diving);
• Computer literate (MS word, excel, etc.);
• Excellent human relations skills;
• Open-minded, result oriented, and must demonstrate the ability to think, make sound judgment, and deliver workable solutions; and
• Can work with minimum supervision.