The release, carried out at Maiton Resort about nine kilometres southeast of Cape Panwa, brings the total number of sharks released this year under the StAR Project Thailand to seven, following the earlier release of three sharks in September.
The sharks ‒ named Maiton, Hope, Spot and Toty ‒ were bred by aquarists from Aquaria Phuket and are now almost two years old, measuring between 100 and 140cm in length. Each was implanted with an acoustic transmitter to allow scientists to track their movements and survival in the wild.
Before the sharks were released, project partners held a symbolic blessing ceremony, pouring flower-adorned seawater back into the sea to wish the animals a safe return to their natural habitat.
The StAR Project Thailand (Stegostoma tigrinum Augmentation and Recovery Project) is the country’s first initiative to reintroduce endangered sharks into the wild. It was initiated by ReShark and officially launched in Phuket earlier this year.
The project brings together government agencies, private organisations and conservation groups, including the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), Department of Fisheries (DoF), Aquaria Phuket, Maiton Resort, WildAid, Ocean Blue Tree and Thai Sharks and Rays.
DMCR Director-General Pinsak Suraswadi said leopard sharks play a vital role in coral reef ecosystems and are important not only for ecological balance but also for sustainable marine tourism.
He said the project involves rearing juvenile sharks, training them to hunt natural prey inside a sea pen at Koh Maiton, conducting health checks and implanting acoustic tags in collaboration with veterinary teams from Ocean Park Hong Kong. Underwater receivers have been installed across Phang Nga Bay to monitor the sharks’ movements and survival after release.
Once common in Thai waters, Indo-Pacific leopard sharks have suffered dramatic declines due to fisheries bycatch and coral reef degradation. According to the latest Population Viability Analysis by the IUCN Species Survival Commission, the remaining population in the Andaman Sea is estimated at just 57 to 172 individuals, far below the area’s potential carrying capacity of around 1,000 sharks.
Metavee Chuangcharoendee, Project Manager of StAR Project Thailand at WildAid, said scientific modelling shows that structured, science-based releases can significantly reduce extinction risk and slow the loss of genetic diversity.
Aquaria Phuket Chief Executive Officer Daryl Foong said the aquarium is proud to be the first institution in Thailand to successfully breed leopard sharks and return them to the wild.
Before release, the sharks were housed in a sea pen at Koh Maiton, where aquarists helped them acclimatise to tides and currents and encouraged natural foraging behaviour by scattering and hiding food.
Veterinarians from the DMCR carried out full health assessments before release. The implanted acoustic tags have an expected battery life of about five years and can be detected by a network of 20 underwater receivers deployed across the waters of Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi.
Data retrieved in November confirmed that the three sharks released earlier this year ‒ Maya, Similan and Ginger ‒ were detected up to 50 days after release and within 16km of the release site. Sightings were recorded around Koh Dok Mai in Phuket, Koh Khai Nok in Phang Nga and Hin Musang (Shark Point) near Phi Phi, indicating the sharks are actively exploring suitable habitats.
DNP Director of the National Parks Office Saysudchai Chunchaowarit said marine parks such as Mu Ko Similan and Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi are critical habitats and that the department will continue supporting tracking and research efforts.
The Department of Fisheries said the project supports Thailand’s National Plan of Action for Sharks and could serve as a model for future marine species restoration programmes.
The project team is urging divers and boat operators to continue submitting photos and videos of leopard sharks through the ‘Spot the Leopard Shark – Thailand’ citizen science platform, and to avoid disturbing underwater receiver devices used for tracking.
Officials said the releases represent a major step toward restoring shark populations and strengthening the long-term health of Thailand’s marine ecosystems.