Save the whale shark campaign held at MU

Mangaluru: The department of applied zoology, Mangalore University, under the auspices of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), and supported by Oracle, conducted an event as part of the Save the Whale Shark Campaign, recently. The aim was to create awareness on the conservation of whale sharks and other marine fauna.
Vice-chancellor Subrahmanya Yadapadithaya stressed on the importance of public participation in the conservation of flora and fauna, including marine creatures.
Charan Kumar Paidi, project lead, WTI - Whale shark conservation project, said whale sharks off the western coast of India have suffered high levels of fishing pressure in the past, and today continue to be caught in small-scale fisheries as by-catch.
“Additionally, coastlines in this region host large and growing human populations. This exacerbates ongoing anthropogenic threats to this species such as pollution, habitat loss, and ship traffic. For these reasons, there is an urgent need for data on the movement patterns of whale sharks and the implementation of conservation strategies,” he said. Prof S M Shivaprakash, former dean of the College of Fisheries said, “If all fishermen follow rules and regulations by observing the monsoon fishing ban of 61 days, our resources can be conserved. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the roughness of the seas on account of incessant rain, the fishing ban got extended to more than 100 days in the last two years. As a result, the fishing season in 2021 and 2022 are a good indicator, that effective observance of the fishing ban during monsoon, helps in reviving fish stocks.”
Dr Prashantha Naik, professor of biosciences, gave a talk on the impact of plastic pollution on the marine ecosystem. Prof MS Mustak, chairman, department of applied zoology, said the programme was held to contribute to the upliftment of scientific knowledge, and contribute extensively to the scientific community and the public.