O Ke Kai – Whale Shark

Lelewa’a – Whale Shark

Lelewa’a is whale shark in Hawaiian – this literally translates to ‘canoe jump’, a popular sport in old Hawaii where people would jump from canoe to canoe as they rode back to shore. To clear any confusion, the whale shark is not a whale, it’s a shark. Which makes it the largest fish in the ocean! These majestic beauties are found around the world, but they prefer warmer waters such as off the coasts of Central and South America, south Asia, and Ningaloo/Australia.

So much is still to be learned about whale sharks, like why are most of the whale sharks we see juveniles and males? A whale shark study in Hawaii showed that 88% of the whale sharks we see here were only seen once – so they’re just passing through, but no one knows to where.

As with so many other shark species, the main threat to whale sharks are humans. Harmful fishing practices, massive over fishing, propeller strikes, pollution and other human-related causes have seen whale shark declines that are estimated between 40%-92% – sadly whale sharks have been listed as endangered since 2016. And despite being members of CITES, some countries (notably India and China) continue to violate the treaty. More work needs to be done to show the value of whale sharks and to help fishermen find better sources of income.