MY WHALE SHARK UMT

The whale shark is a magnificent creature holding record as the biggest living fish on the planet. It is also dubbed to be one of the biggest fishes to have ever existed since the beginning of time. Being so big, it is ironic that whale sharks are quite elusive in Malaysia. They have been sighted occasionally over the years by fishermen, divers as well as oil and gas platform staff offshore. However, efforts to document and collect these anecdotes for research remains few.

Consequently, a research on whale shark population and behaviour is currently being conducted by the Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu in waters off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. The Whale Shark Observatory Program is a collaborative project between ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc. (EMEPMI) and INOS UMT to help find whale sharks in offshore waters to help propel research and subsequently fuel whale shark conservation through awareness and education.

Seven EMEPMI platforms will be participating in this effort and it is open to all EMEPMI staff to record important new and previous sightings of the whale shark in waters where EMEPMI operates. News boards with physical sighting forms, guides and platform records are to be made available on each participating platform.

The WSOP team thanks everyone for their concern to this amazing species. Join the effort now and help save the endangered whale shark. Remember: If we can find them, we can help them.