Research Summary
Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia - Whale sharks are the largest living fish on Earth. Although they are found around the world in tropical and warm seas, whale sharks are nowhere common and have been threatened by unsustainable fishing practices in some regions. In other areas where they gather, like Western Australia's spectacular Ningaloo Marine Park, whale sharks are a growing focus for ecotourism, raising public awareness and support for their conservation. Marine biologist Brad Norman and information architect Jason Holmberg have developed an award-winning on-line library of whale shark sightings, based on more than 2,000 encounters from around the world. You can contribute to this innovative resource and explore the role of ecotourism in sustaining whale shark populations.
Meet the Scientists
Brad Norman
ECOCEAN
Brad Norman, Project Leader and Biologist with the ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library, holds a Master of Philosophy degree in Marine Biology from Murdoch University in Perth, Australia. His main research interests are whale shark biology and physiology, sustainable ecotourism and conservation, and sustainable fisheries management.
Brad began studying whale sharks at Ningaloo Marine Park in 1994 and has continued research both in Australia and abroad. Over his many years of work, he has established that the natural patterning on the skin of these sharks does not change over time and can be used to identify individuals.
His studies previously focused on the biology of the whale shark and the sustainability of the associated ecotourism industry, while his present work extends to international conservation projects related to this species. In addition to developing acoustic and satellite tracking programs at Ningaloo Reef and Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, Brad has discovered a new species of copepod living on the skin of whale sharks and also established the size at maturity of male whale sharks.
Jason Holmberg
ECOCEAN
Jason Holmberg is an Adjunct Research Associate at Murdoch University, Western Australia.