Background Prior to 2001, due to the lack of legal protection, whale sharks were brutally and extensively hunted across the shores of Gujarat state in western India. Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) actively lobbied the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India, for legal protection of the species by placing it in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Approach A brief survey during 2004 along the coastal town of Veraval, the hub of the whale shark slaughter, revealed a low awareness level (19%) of poaching and the protection status of whale sharks among the fishers. Following the survey, WTI launched a large-scale whale shark awareness campaign in 2004, with a special focus on Veraval, with the funding support of Tata Chemicals Ltd (TCL), which led to the training of 1500 fishers into an organised information providing network. Results The whale shark campaign spread awareness on the plight of the species and its protected status in Gujarat. The campaign not only helped convert Gujarat fishermen into protectors of the whale shark by bringing about a major change in the perception and attitude of local people, but also helped in local protection of the species. As a result of the campaign, seven coastal towns adopted the whale shark as their city mascots. The campaign led to a model relief programme that offered monetary support to fishers whose nets were damaged or had to be cut open during the rescue and release of whale sharks. To speed up the release and reduce stress on the sharks, a self-photo documentation process of whale shark rescue for fishers was started. 1200 waterproof cameras were distributed to fishers to document the rescue and release of whale sharks. The captured images of a rescue by fisher folk served as evidence to prove the damage to nets. The photos also helped fishermen claim financial relief from the government scheme to repair/replace nets. From its inception until 2015, 571 whale sharks had been rescued and voluntarily released by fishers with not a single record of whale shark slaughtering. To further strengthen the whale shark conservation activities among fishers, fourteen “Vahlino Mitro” clubs (Vahlino Mitro =Friends of whale sharks) were registered in the fishing villages of Veraval and Mangarol (seven clubs each), with an objective of motivating fishers to fish in a whale shark friendly manner, and to make coastal school children understand the importance of coastal ecosystems and involve them in action based programmes related to whale shark conservation. This project has won several conservation laurels. These include the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) Green Governance Award in 2005, the Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC) Award during 2012 and the UNDP Indian Biodiversity Award to the Gujarat Forest Department for co-management in 2014. Conclusions The whale shark conservation project with the support of fishing communities and corporate house has stopped the killing of whale sharks along the Gujarat coast. The project also instilled a sense of pride among fishing communities along Gujarat coast and ongoing annual International whale shark day celebrations and Gujarat whale shark celebrations are keeping the whale shark conservation message alive among the communities and coastal school students.

Background To overcome the issue of accidental mortality in fishing nets, the Government of Gujarat started promoting the release of entangled whale sharks by providing adequate compensation for the gear loss incurred by the fishers during the release. The attempt to save entangled whale sharks was a great success. However, constant follow up and rescue information collection from the fishers was essential to monitor the rate of entanglement and release. The current reporting of neonatal whale sharks from the Indian coast was the result of these interactions with fishers. Approach Youngwhale sharks are rarely seen, with only 14 encounters with neonatal whale sharks reported in the scientific literature. The project sociologist is in constant touch with the fishers and collects all the information about whale shark sightings and rescue. The importance of recording the size class of whale sharks was detailed to the fishers. Results Atotal of four whale shark pups (size range 60–100 cm) were recorded during 2013. Interviews with the fishers of Sutrapada fishing village in Gujarat revealed that they found a whale shark pup entangled in a fishing net on 5th March 2013, exactly 10 km offshore of the Sutrapada headland. The length of the pup was approximately 60 cm. The second report is from 15th March 2013, approximately 10 km offshore of the Sutrapada headland. Fishermen from Sutrapada fishing village found the pup whale shark entangled in a gill net and released it. The fishermen recorded the entire event using a mobile telephone. Ocular estimation of the size of whale shark pup from the provided video by comparing with a fisherman's palm was approximately 60 cm. While intervening the fishers during the monsoon fishing ban along the Saurashtra coast (June–July), we came to know that the fishers saw one dead whale shark pup beached near the Sutrapada fishing village on 6th April, 2013. According to the fishers, the sighting of dead whale shark pups is not a common incident and it might be the first incident where fishermen come across a dead whale shark pup. The size of the pup was nearly 100 cm. The pup was found near the rocky shores of the beach and fishermen observed some scars over the head and second dorsal fin. Fishers also reported a whale shark pup swimming on the water surface 20 km off Sutrapada coast. Conclusions Neonatalwhale sharks are thought to have limited swimming abilities compared to juveniles and adults. Thus the new records of pups of size range 60–100 cm indicate that this region is a pupping ground for whale sharks.

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The present report describes the first record of two brachyuran crabs, Drachiella morum Alcock, 1896 and Quadrella maculosa Alcock, 1898 along the coast of Tamil Nadu, India.  The morphological characters of the specimens are described and discussed.  Among the two crabs, Q. maculosa was previously recorded only in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.