Madagascar Whale Shark Project

In this episode I’m joined by Stella Diamant, a marine biologist, conservationist and founder of the Madagascar Whale Shark Project. Madagascar’s first dedicated whale shark research and conservation programme. She has spent the past eight field seasons studying endangered whale sharks and other marine megafauna through long-term photo-identification, acoustic tracking, feeding ecology, genetics, and pollution research. Her work combines rigorous science with community engagement, training Malagasy students, collaborating with local authorities, and helping shape marine protected areas to ensure that conservation action is rooted locally. As a free-diver and underwater photographer, Stella brings both scientific expertise and deep personal connection to the ocean, working at the intersection of research, sustainable tourism, and policy to better protect sharks and the ecosystems they sustain.Cover Photo by Stella DiamantMadagascar Whale Shark Project:madawhalesharks.orgSeen Blue Conservation:seenblue.org