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EveryFish

World days, 30 Aug 2027

International Whale Shark Day

A day on 30 August for the whale shark, the largest fish alive, which visits the coasts of Gujarat, the Philippines and Western Australia.

International Whale Shark Day was agreed by researchers at a whale shark conference in Isla Holbox, Mexico, in 2008, and is held on 30 August. The whale shark is a filter feeder that sieves plankton and small fish from the water, and it can grow to around 18 metres. It is listed as endangered. In India, fishers on the Saurashtra coast of Gujarat once hunted it; since the species was protected in 2001 and a campaign led by the Wildlife Trust of India, they have freed hundreds caught in their nets.

Fish tied to International Whale Shark Day

Whale sharkThe largest living fish, endangeredBasking sharkThe second-largest fish, also a filter feeder

Still to be written: Megamouth shark.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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