Gujarat coast breeding hotspot of whale sharks, reveals study

Zee Media Bureau

Gandhinagar: A study conducted by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) claims Gujarat's coastal region is a breeding area of the whale shark, the largest extant fish species.

According to the study report titled 'Gujarat's Gentle Giant; Conservation of Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) in Gujarat', four whale shark pups have been found off the Sutrapada coast in Junagadh district since March last year.

It indicates that the region is not just a whale shark 'aggregating site', but also an important 'pupping ground'.

"All caught pups seemed to be between 1 and 3 months old, the size of an arm, indicating that the fish may be breeding and definitely pupping off the Gujarat coast," says report.

As per the report, the fishermen themselves started approaching WTI with information within one month from the discovery of the first pup off Gujarat coastline.

With Agency Inputs