She has developed a new code of conduct for the island that aims to protect these endangered creatures by ensuring tourism is responsible and sustainable.

Oceanographic spoke with Stella during the week her new study on whale shark aggregations in Madagascar was published. With news of her research shining a spotlight onto the conservation work she and her team at the Madagascar Whale Shark Project are doing, we talked to her about how she is working to encourage positive ecotourism and responsible whale shark encounters.

Oceanographic Magazine (OM): Tell us a little bit about your recent study.

Stella Diamant (SD):Our new study, which was published in the journal Endangered Species Research, revealed that Madagascar is a feeding hotspot for  juvenile whale sharks. When I first arrived on the island, scientists didn’t know there was a whale shark aggregation here so it’s pretty exciting to be able to prove it. When I started my research project, some sharks had been seen around Nosy Be but less than a dozen individuals had been identified on WhaleShark.org. Now, we know there are more than 300.

OM: Why are your findings so important?

SD:Because there has never been a published study on whale shark populations in Madagascar before – ours was a world first. Also, the sharks we identified haven’t been seen anywhere else before which adds a bit of mystery – where have they come from? – but also shows that we need to make a clear effort to protect them and their habitat.

OM: Do people choose Madagascar just for the whale sharks?

SD:Yes, they do. I think this is the case more and more. It’s still a bit of a secret spot and being difficult to get to and somewhat politically unstable might protect it actually from over-tourism, but I think the whale sharks are enticing people to visit.

OM: Why are you so passionate about protecting whale sharks?

SD:Whale sharks – the largest fish in the world – are a huge asset for eco-tourism, particularly in poor countries, but they’re threatened by many different things like overfishing and ocean pollution. The species is categorised as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, which, of course, means that it’s important for us to protect them. However, this is even more important because they are so slow growing: we estimate it takes around 30 years for them to reach sexual maturity. So we need to make sure they can reach the age that they’re able to reproduce. On a personal level, they’re such beautiful creatures and I find it so humbling to swim with them.

OM: There are lots of places in the world where you can see whale sharks. What’s so special about the whale shark interactions in Madagascar?

SD: The really interesting thing about the Nosy Be area of Madagascar is the tuna aggregations. Here, you’ll find whale sharks vertically feeding with huge bait balls of bonito all around them. We think the tuna and whale shark work together to maximise the amount of bait fish they’re both able to eat. As well as the incredible whale shark encounters, we also see mobula rays, turtles and Omura’s whales, which is pretty special.

OM: How did people react when you first started telling them about the whale shark population you’d found?

SD:Initially, the other scientists I spoke to were surprised. They assumed they would have known about it if there was such a significant population and that someone would have sent a big team there.