Welcome to our blog about all the latest happenings in the world of whale shark monitoring in Seychelles. The Marine Conservations Society Seychelles have been monitoring whale sharks here since a two week pilot project in November 1996. Since then the programme has grown steadily both in terms of scope and size and is now one of the most comprehensive whale shark research programmes globally.
This blog will be updated by members of the whale shark monitoring team who are in Seychelles for a 10 week internship programme under the guidance of whale shark researcher David Rowat and team leaders Katie Brooks and Luke Riley.
From its inception in 1996, the programme has relied upon the enthusiasm and support of the public in assisting with the gathering of data and this has been the primary building block on which the programme is based. However, in order to maximise the value of the data collected, the monitoring systems require strict standardisation and while the public is directly involved in the in-water encounter activities, the majority of the data are collected by the interns (sometimes called eco-volunteers) who are trained in the necessary data capture activities and data entry to ensure compliance with standards.
The seasons starts at the beginning of September and we hope you join us for the regular updates!
1 comment:
Sarah- we got the postcard and i managed to track you down. Sat at my desk in Marlborough house and ever so slightly jealous!! Will let the staff know the link. Good luck with it all you jammy thing- any spaces free next year!?
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