On his social media, islander Kev Rhoden shared images of tiger sharks consuming a dead whale shark near Ambergris Caye on August 17th. While those familiar with this species considered it a huge loss, people were shocked to see not only the whale shark but also large tiger sharks feeding on the animal. Their presence near Ambergris Caye at this time of the year is rare, and while it is still unclear what caused its death, the big fish may have sustained injuries after being hit by a large vessel out at sea.
The sight of a whale shark in August along the Belizean coast is unusual, and it may have drifted south from the Mexican side, where the season runs from June to mid-September. The whale shark season in Belize typically begins in March until June every year. It is a great tourist attraction in Belize, and tours are usually offered out of the southern village of Placencia in the Stann Creek District.
In an interview with shark expert Dr. Rachel Graham, founder and executive director of MarAlliance, Graham mentioned that when not feeding on fish spawn and zooplankton, these magnificent creatures (whale sharks) join schools of tuna and eat the same baitfish they do. In this unfortunate incident, the whale shark may have been surface-feeding with tuna and could have easily been struck by a large ship. As it floated, it may have attracted tiger sharks, who are omnivorous (feeding on food of both plant and animal origin) top predators. Dr. Graham also noted that it was unusual to have the body floating towards the coast as they often sink after dying due to negative buoyancy. Spotting tiger sharks near Ambergris Caye is also considered unusual. According to a local marine biologist, the hypothesis is that their population has increased following the ban on gillnets in Belize since November 2020 and the expansion of protected marine areas near the atolls, such as Lighthouse Reef.
Whale sharks and nurse sharks are protected species in Belize. This effort by the Government of Belize supports the tourism industry and helps regulate the ocean’s plankton levels. Dr. Graham shared that this type of shark is currently facing challenges. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the population of whale sharks is declining. The IUCN Red List lists whale sharks as endangered as they face various threats, including vessel strikes, bycatch, fisheries, finning, tourism, and climate change.
Dr. Graham noted that once frequent visitors to Gladden Spit, a well-known spawning area off the southern Belize coast, whale sharks no longer aggregate in this area. The hypothesis is that food sources (fish spawn, plankton) are scarce in this area, thus triggering a shift in prey distribution that has led whale sharks to look for food in other areas. MarAlliance is conducting a project to discover what has disrupted the annual migration. This new development is harmful to fisheries as this means that with less or no fish spawning, the fish stock in Belizean waters may also be experiencing a decline that can affect the fishing industry in the country.
While the images of the dead whale shark concerned many tourism stakeholders and environmentalists, no non-governmental or governmental organizations released any statements. Those concerned for the well-being of this species, now endangered, hope that boat operators out at sea will be extra cautious and look out for these fragile marine creatures.
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