Nearly Every Whale Shark at This Tourist Destination Bears Human

The world’s largest living fish has plenty to fear from people. New research shows that a large proportion of whale sharks at a popular and protected tourism region bear scars caused by human activity.

A large group of marine scientists examined more than a decade’s worth of whale shark sightings in the Bird’s Head Seascape off Indonesia. Among other things, they found that over half of the sharks had injuries attributable to humans. Many of these injuries were preventable, the researchers say, and simple measures can be taken to ensure the safety of these gentle giants moving forward.

“[The] high percentage of injured whale sharks shows that even in protected zones, the whale shark interactions with fishing gear and tourism still pose risks to them,” study author Edy Setyawan, lead cons