In Cenderawasih Bay, in West Papua, Indonesia, fishermen set out for days on hand-made floating platforms called bagans. At night, they turn on lights to attract squid and baitfish, and lower nets from their bagans—also attracting whale sharks to the smell and commotion. Bagan fishermen have long believed that whale sharks bring good luck and feed them bits of baitfish. Today, the luck comes to them in the form of marine tourism, as people travel to Cenderawasih Bay for up-close encounters with these gentle giants. Photographer Pete Oxford visited the bay, and returned with these photos, recently published in the online magazine bioGraphic.
Whale Sharks as Good Luck Charms
-
-
A scientist runs a portable tag reader along the side of a whale shark in search of a PIT tag. These tags, placed under the skin of the sharks, enable researchers to track the movements of individuals over the course of their lifetimes. #
Pete Oxford / bioGraphic -
-
Whale sharks are the world’s largest fish with confirmed measurements of more than 12 meters (40 feet) long and more than 18 metric tons. They are the largest non-whale species on the planet. #
Pete Oxford / bioGraphic -
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.