If you ever go to an area that has Whale Sharks tell the people about www.Ecocean.org if you get any photos please submit them to Ecocean, they will be a great help for research, by submitting photo’s you are contributing to the worldwide research that is being done.One important thing is that the fingerprint area of the Whale Shark, (markings that are totally individual to each Whale Shark) are behind the 5th gill and if it is possible to photograph this area on the left side. (the left side is being used just for the reason to standardize)

We have matched Whale Sharks by using this method that pass our island from previous, this year we managed to photograph 60 and log them as encounters.

On  June 22, 2005 I received this email from Jason Holmberg of www.Ecocean.com  . That was the first official proof through photo tagging that Whale Sharks migrate on the same pattern from Utila through Belize year after year. This fact had been known, but until now never proved by the photo tagging method.

This is a huge step forward for us in Whale Shark research it will mean that now it is a verified research tool, divers from all over the world can assist in research.

It's interesting to note that the wire remnants of a plastic tag are visible on this animal in 2005, and the tag itself is visible in 2003 but is fouled beyond readability. This is great proof that digital, photo-based tagging is a better long-term solution and is much less invasive....that wire is still trailing from the shark and lodged under its skin years later!Also interesting is the fact that the shark went from Utila on April 22, 2005 to Gladden Spit on April 25, 2005! Do you know what that distance is?

Thanks and congrats!
Jason