Many countries that once fished whale sharks now protect them though significant fishing still occurs in SE Asia. They are recognized as 'vulnerable to extinction' in the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species. They are on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature with a projected reduction of between 50 and 20% of the population. They are listed on the Bonn Convention which protects migratory species across geographical boundaries and are now protected in the Maldives, Philippines, Honduras, Belize, Australia and India. Many of these nations are now home to developing sustainable ecotourism operations. Within Australia they are completely protected under the Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) and also the Wildlife Conservation Act (1950), CALM Act (1984) and the WA Animal Welfare Act.