Dení Ramírez Macías. Dení is the project leader of Whale Shark México. She has studied whale sharks in the Gulf of California since 2002. In 2005 as assistance of research she started a study in Holbox Island in collaboration with “Proyecto Dominó del Atlántico Mexicano”. In 2007 she started her doctorate at the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR) in La Paz. Her research concerns whale shark population genetics around the world, and demographic aspects of whale sharks from the Gulf of California and Holbox Island. She has been part in the elaboration of the “Management program for non-extractable use of the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) in México,” a government program. Dení presented her research in International Conferences in: Australia, Belize, South Africa and México. Her research is also part of a film on Chinese television to generate greater awareness of the importance for preserving this shark, the concept that a live whale shark has more value than a dead whale shark. This message about protecting marine animals is circulating in China, which is the largest consumer of whale sharks and their fins.

Dr. Ricardo Vazquez-Juarez. Is a titular researcher at CIBNOR with interests on the application of molecular tools to pathogen-host interactions and population genetics of marine vertebrates. Advisor to14 PhD and Master's students, author of over 35 scientific articles on microbial ecology and genetics.

Alex Antoniou has been studying sharks for over 15 years. As the former Director of Field Operations for the Shark Research Institute, Alex established the field research center in Utila Honduras to study whale sharks. He was the first to deploy satellite tags on whale sharks in the Caribbean. He then went on to work with the Galapagos National Park on Ecuador where he began to tag the whale sharks with satellite tags. In 2005 Alex began working with PRETOMA, a marine conservation group in Costa Rica to help them study the scalloped hammerhead sharks of Cocos Island. More recently, Alex has collaborated with Mexican researchers at Guadalupe Island studying the great white sharks, and the Revillagigedo Islands to tag hammerhead and Galapagos sharks. The work he conducted at Guadalupe and Revillagigedo with the British Military was recognized by the Prince Phillip, who awarded the team the first prize for the Duke of Edinburgh Award for the most adventurous expedition that has an impact on the world. Alex continues to work on his passion to promote shark research and conservation around the world. He is determined to make sure that shark species do not become extinct.

STUDENTS

María José Alderete. She is doing her Master’s degree in CIBNOR, the subject of her study is isotopes values from whale sharks in Holbox Island.

Esmeralda Navarro. She is Marine Biology student and the subject of her thesis is the use a molecular method to identify whale shark products (illegal fishing) by using DNA.

COLLABORATORS
Pilot Rodolfo Siddharta Velázquez Hernández.
Alex Antoniou.
Abraham Vázquez.
Mark Meekan.
Rafael de la Parra.
Carlos Aguilera.
Paulina Godoy.
Pablo Ahuja.

Deni Ramírez	Alex Antoniou	Ricardo V.