For the first time in a decade, the distribution of whale sharks along the Inhambane coast has been mapped from the air, with three concentration hotspots identified at São Sebastião, Pomene and Tofinho. The team responsible completed the first round of fixed-wing aerial monitoring flights along the corridor between Závora and São Sebastião over two days, according to the Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF).
The MMF has been studying whale sharks in Inhambane since 2005 and, according to the Tofo-based organisation, the animals concentrate around the three identified areas.
The flights also mapped a significant presence of gillnets along the coastline. The organisation noted that the areas with the highest density of these nets coincide with the concentration zones of marine megafauna. One image captured during the survey shows a whale shark with a net wrapped around its tail, which the animal was dragging as it swam. For the MMF, the footage constitutes documented evidence of the threat the project set out to investigate.
In January 2021, the whale shark gained full legal protection in Mozambique. The species is classified as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List, an assessment based in part on research conducted in Mozambique. Through photo-identification, the MMF has already identified more than 600 whale sharks in the waters off Inhambane.
During the flights, researchers also recorded humpback whales nursing newborn calves, reef manta rays and giant oceanic manta rays, several dolphin species and sea turtles, as well as a guitarfish of the species Rhynchobatus australiae, classified as ‘Critically Endangered’. The team also highlighted the observation of an ornate eagle ray, a rare species.
The Inhambane coast is considered by the IUCN to be a marine area of exceptional global importance and is recognised as a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site. In January 2022, it was declared a Hope Spot by Mission Blue, the organisation founded by oceanographer Sylvia Earle. At the time, Mission Blue identified the use of gillnets — a relatively recent practice in the region — as one of the factors associated with the documented decline in sightings of manta rays, whale sharks, guitarfish, turtles and dugongs.
Andrea Marshall, co-founder of the MMF, told Mission Blue: “The Inhambane seascape is an area of incalculable importance — it’s the marine Serengeti of Africa.”
Two further survey rounds are planned, scheduled for November and March. The work is led by the MMF’s whale shark team, comprising researchers Simon Pierce and Clare Prebble.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/30/economia/conservacao/inhambane-monitorizacao-aerea-revela-tres-zonas-de-concentracao-de-tubaroes-baleia/
