  
Shores of Silence - Whale Sharks in India
- Brought Legislation in India (2001) where in the slaughter of Whale Sharks was banned. They were declared protected under the Indian Wildlife Act 1972.
- Fishermen off the Gujarat coast were motivated to stop killing the Whale Sharks.
- Played a crucial role in the Global Conservation of the Whale Sharks at CITES 2002.
The film Shores of Silence questions the rationale behind this mindless slaughter of a special marine species already at stake because of its slow regeneration. It is a conservation effort to gather support to protect these enigmatic giants while offering the fishing community an alternative in the form of whale shark tourism.
Using the film as a base, Earth Matters Foundation has been successful in gathering public support for the protection and conservation of our Global Heritage - The Whale Shark.
But legislation alone is not enough to save a species. It is only the first step. Despite the threat of imprisonment and legal action, whale sharks were still being caught and slaughtered along the Indian coastline. Riverbank Studios initiated a 2-year long campaign to sensitize fishermen, local communities and children about the plight of the world’s largest fish.
The film was a catalyst – it touched the hearts and minds of people bringing in total protection to the whale shark. The campaign helped change the attitude of fishermen who once killed the whale shark. No whale shark has been killed on Indian shores in the last two years. It was not the fear of the law or the greed of a dangling carrot but education and involving the people and the fishing communities in the conservation effort that worked.
The campaign continues.
Today NGOs such as Wildlife Trust of India and WWF use Shores of Silence as a campaign film and have reached over 20 million people all along the coastline.
Internationally, the film has been used by WildAid International, National Geographic, Shark Institute, Reefwatch…. as part of their awareness generating campaigns and appeal for conservation.
Conservation cannot be viewed in isolation…. it has to involve people to trigger off changes. This is vital for any conservation effort to become successful.
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