A new individual whale shark was discovered in the Cendrawasih Bay National Park (TNTC), Kwatisore, Nabire Regency, Central Papua Province, West Papua, Indonesia. With these additional findings, the number of whale sharks recorded at TNTC has now reached 203 individuals.

This finding is the result of joint monitoring carried out since November 2023 at the Whale Shark Center (WSC) Kwatisore, which is now jointly managed by Pertamina International Shipping (PIS) and the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Apart from that, it is also a special gift for marine sustainability which coincides with World Ocean Day on June 8.

PIS Corporate Secretary Muhammad Aryomekka Firdaus said that monitoring results showed that there were new individuals of whale sharks in the TNTC area so that the population increased.

“Of course, this is good news from the good efforts that have taken place in the last few months, and clear evidence of the company’s commitment to supporting the sustainability of the marine ecosystem, especially in the waters of Eastern Indonesia,” said Aryomekka.

This collaborative management of the Whale Shark Center together with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry is one of PIS’ Social and Environmental Responsibility programs. This activity is under the “BerSEAnergi untuk Laut” program to support the sustainability of marine ecosystems, increase literacy and the welfare of coastal communities.

Cooperation in managing the Whale Shark Center in Kwatisore includes several programs, including Whale Shark conservation and tagging, Pertamina Ocean Warrior (Endangered Species Monitoring), Diving Training, and Independent Energy Village.

The whale shark conservation program begins with monitoring activities of the whale shark population in TNTC which are either direct, namely recording the appearance of whale sharks by the community or indirectly using tools such as underwater cameras (Photo-ID Method), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and tags. Pop-Up Satellite Archival Tag (PSAT).

This monitoring is useful for developing knowledge and understanding of the biological, ecological and behavioral aspects of whale sharks so that programs can run effectively and fauna populations can increase. Monitoring activities that have been taking place have proven to have produced results by recording the emergence of new individuals in the TNTC area.

Habitat Ecosystem Controller for the Management Section of TNTC Region 1, Kwatisore Sumaryono, revealed that originally the whale shark population in TNTC was 195 whale sharks. Since joint monitoring was carried out in November 2023, the team was able to monitor and record new individuals, bringing the number to 203 whale sharks as of May 2024.

“Hopefully in the future, this figure can continue to increase to monitor the population and movements of whale sharks in the TNTC area,” added Sumaryono. Apart from monitoring, conservation efforts at TNTC are also continuing with the process of tagging whale sharks to record and process data on shark behavior. whale.

One of the uses of data is to study the migration routes of whale sharks in Papuan waters. This data will be adjusted to the PIS shipping area in Papua. So that PIS ships can sail on routes that will not interfere with the whale shark’s path. “We hope that in the future, this data can also be accessed by other ships to work together to protect our marine ecosystem,” added Aryomekka.

Based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) report, the whale shark is one of the animals that has been on the red list of endangered since 2016.

Since then, whale shark conservation efforts have continued to be promoted by various parties, including PIS as a company operating in the maritime industry and which has great attention to the sustainability of Indonesia’s marine ecosystem.

“This collaboration is also proof of PIS’ commitment to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) program, especially point 14 regarding life below water. “As the largest maritime industry player in Indonesia, it is our obligation to run business with sustainable principles in order to maintain the beauty of the environment, which we will pass on to future generations,” said Aryomekka.