Beached Whale Shark at Rocktail Bay

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Tuesday, July 29, 2008
 
Beached Whale Shark at Rocktail Bay
 
Rocktail Team

Whale sharks Rhincodon typus are huge fish found in tropical waters across the world. This is the largest living fish species and contrary to what might be suggested by its size and its 'shark' status, it is actually a slow moving filter-feeder, using its huge mouth to gather phytoplankton, krill and other small organisms. It is found mostly in the open ocean but is also sometimes encountered closer to shore in certain sites around the world.

Sightings of the IUCN listed species (Vulnerable) at Rocktail Bay occur mostly in the summer months when divers and even snorkellers are able to enjoy exceptional experiences in the water with this huge fish species (individuals seen here have exceeded eight metres) as the adjacent image taken in May this year shows.

On the 30th of June we were devastated to discover a whale shark that was washed up onto the beach at Lala Nek, our snorkelling spot. The animal had apparently died at sea and had been fed on, presumably by other shark species, before washing up onto the shore. While it was an interesting and unusual opportunity to examine the fish close up, it was obviously a bittersweet experience.

Last year, also in June, no less than three whale sharks were found washed up near Black Rock (one to the north, and two to the south of it) and three others in similar predicaments to the north near Kozi Bay were also reported. These carcasses were investigated by the Natal Sharks Board to determine the causes of death with no firm conclusions reached.

A South African study between 1984 and 1995 concluded that most whale shark strandings involved young animals and although an exact explanation for the phenomenon was not possible theories ranged from the narrow, steeply-sloping continental shelf, close proximity of the Agulhas Current to the shore, and beaches with heavy wave action. As the theory goes, whale sharks feeding off the east coast in these conditions may be caught too close to 'back-line' and then lack the energy or vigour required to move back out into the open ocean.