Dr. Simon J. Pierce
Co-Founder & Executive Director
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simon[@]marinemegafauna.org
Overview
Simon leads the Global Whale Shark Program at MMF, and is a world expert on these iconic sharks. He began long-term whale shark research in Mozambique in 2005, and has since worked on and published about whale sharks in Tanzania, Madagascar, Oman, Qatar, the Galápagos Islands, the Philippines, Thailand, St Helena, Honduras, and Australia. He has authored or co-authored more than 90 peer-reviewed scientific papers.
Simon led the global conservation assessment on whale sharks for the IUCN Red List in 2016 and its update in 2025, and led the IUCN Green Status conservation assessment on whale sharks in 2021. He wrote the technical proposal that upgraded the whale shark’s global protection – through an Appendix I listing on the UN Convention on Migratory Species – in 2017, and contributed to its Appendix I listing under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 2025. He is currently working with the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission towards a ban on retaining whale sharks caught in its fisheries. Simon also co-edited the definitive scientific textbook on the species, ‘Whale Sharks: Biology, Ecology, and Conservation,’ published in 2021.
Simon has a long-standing interest in developing non-invasive research techniques for endangered species, especially photo-identification, and led the most recent global review of its application to sharks and rays. He is a scientific advisor to Sharkbook.ai, the global shark monitoring database, which tracks more than 15,000 identified whale sharks from more than 50 countries, and is an expert on integrating artificial intelligence into marine research. In Australia, he is an Adjunct Fellow at the University of the Sunshine Coast and Research Manager for Spot A Shark, developing AI-enhanced photo-monitoring of grey nurse sharks (sandtigers). Simon regularly gives talks on photography for science and conservation with Sony Australia and New Zealand as a Digital Imaging Advocate.
Simon works within a number of regional collaborative research teams, including the Oman Whale Shark Project, Galapagos Whale Shark Project, the Madagascar Whale Shark Project, and Biopixel Ocean Foundation’s project on Great Barrier Reef whale sharks. Simon is an Oceania member of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, and chairs the board of the Sawfish Conservation Society, where he was one of the founding board members.
Within MMF, Simon works closely with Principal Scientist Dr. Chris Rohner and Senior Scientist Dr. Clare Prebble on the Global Whale Shark Program. He also sets organizational strategy with the MMF Board, Sarah Butchers (Chief Operating Officer), and MMF Country Managers and senior staff, and often hosts MMF’s diving trips around the world.
Education
2009 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
The University of Queensland. Brisbane, Australia
Biology, demography and conservation of rays in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia.
2001 Honours in Science (1st Class)
The University of Queensland. Brisbane, Australia
2000 Bachelor of Science (Ecology)
Victoria University of Wellington – Te Herenga Waka. Wellington, New Zealand
Biography
Simon grew up on a farm outside New Plymouth, New Zealand, where he could generally be found either climbing trees and falling out of them, or exploring rivers and falling into them. After studying Ecology for his BSc in Wellington, NZ, he moved over to Brisbane in Australia in the search for warmer water – and to study coastal rays and sharks for his doctorate.
While he was in Australia, Simon became great friends with then pre-Dr. Andrea Marshall. She convinced him to come over to check out the whale sharks in Mozambique. Together, they set up the ‘Manta Ray & Whale Shark Research Centre’ in Praia do Tofo, a precursor to MMF, in 2005. Things evolved quickly from there, as noted in the overview above.
Simon is wildlife-obsessed and, when not working internationally on MMF projects, lives in the ocean wildlife hotspot of Kaikoura, New Zealand.
Current research
Leads
- Galapagos Whale Shark ProjectProject leader
- Grey Nurse Shark ProjectAustraliaProject leader
- Oman Whale Shark ProjectProject leader
Team member
- Australia Leopard Shark ProjectTeam
- Galapagos Silky Shark ProjectTeam
- Madagascar Whale Shark ProjectTeam
- Mozambique Marlin Research ProjectTeam
- Mozambique Whale Shark ProjectTeam
- Qatar Whale Shark ProjectTeam
- Revillagigedo Manta Ray ResearchMexicoTeam
- Tanzania Blacktip Reef Shark ProjectTeam
- Tanzania Whale Shark ProjectTeam
- Yucatan Whale Shark ResearchMexicoTeam
Past research
Leads
- Coral Sea Whale Shark ProjectAustraliaProject leader
- Mozambique Sea Turtle ProjectProject leader
- Pacific Mexico Whale Shark TrackingProject leader
- Philippines Whale Shark ProjectProject leader
- Tubbataha Shark MonitoringPhilippinesProject leader
- Utila Whale Shark ProjectHondurasProject leader
Team member
Join Simon in the field
Simon hosts MMF's expedition trips — dive alongside the scientists and support the research directly.
6 – 18 October 2027 · Open for bookingAlor to Ambon
Explore some of Indonesia's rarely-dived reefs across Alor, the Banda Sea, and Ambon while we seek out hammerheads, Rhinopias, and the world's craziest frogfishes.
21 October – 2 November 2027 · 3 cabins availableAmbon to Raja Ampat
From Ambon’s famed macro, north to the world's richest reefs, seeking out hammerheads, manta rays, and walking sharks.
20 – 31 March 2028 · Open for bookingRaja Ampat
Eleven nights aboard Coralia Dua across Misool and the Dampier Strait — manta rays, walking sharks, and the world's richest coral reefs.Media
Critical shark and ray habitats in Western Indian Ocean largely unprotected: Study | Mongabay
Sharks often swim across national borders. Our conservation efforts must travel with them | The Conversation
Migratory sharks swim into danger when they leave Australian waters | Earth.com
Mapping shark migration will be key to their survival, says study | Oceanographic
MBA-led study advances whale shark tagging techniques to support global conservation | Marine Biological Association
‘Jet packs’ and ultrasounds could reveal secrets of pregnant whale sharks | ScienceNews
Uterine implants and underwater ultrasounds aim to demystify shark births | MongaBay
Galapagos Whale Sharks Undergo Ultrasounds For First Time | Forbes
How to Responsibly Interact with Marine Life | Conde Nast Traveler
Watch a Diver Perform the First Undersea Ultrasound on the World’s Biggest Shark | Washington Post
Investigating the Mysterious Whale Sharks of Mafia Island | National Geographic
Global Whale Shark Program
News featuring Simon
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Recent research
- 2026Integrating migratory connectivity data into the conservation of Australian sharks and rays
- Conservation status and life history of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) in the Indian Ocean
- Methods for tagging whale sharks: insights into performance and best practices with a focus on clamp attachments
- No model fits all: Dynamic ensemble species distribution model reveals seasonal patterns of essential habitat use by ocean giants in the southwest Pacific
- Whale sharks do it deeper: Extension of known depth range for Rhincodon typus from satellite telemetry data in the Coral Sea, Australia
- Conservation value of shallow-water habitats for rays within a long-standing marine protected area
- Only one percent of important shark and ray areas in the Western Indian Ocean are fully protected from fishing pressure
- 2025Vulnerability of marine megafauna to global at-sea anthropogenic threats
- A 15-year time series shows major declines in whale sharks in southern Mozambique
- The needle in the haystack: Uncovering the first whale shark (Rhincodon typus) aggregation in the Coral Sea