Cheryl-Samantha Owen

While spending some time diving in Watamu's marine protected area with Aqua Ventures at the beginning of 2007 I went to Malindi to investigate the deaths of several whale sharks who drowned in large drift nets off the coast. I published a feature in the East African Wildlife Society's SWARA magazine to raise public awareness of the vulnerability of whale sharks. Shark fishing is not a sustainable fishery and all over the world shark populations are being exploited to the brink of extinction. Education and sustainable tourism may be the key to saving these gentle giants.