Whale sharks are very susceptible to human impacts, Dr Norman, of Murdoch University s Harry Butler Institute, said. In this situation from the photograph it doesn t appear that there s any trauma from a boat strike, so there might have been something internal. Whale shark researcher of the Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Brad Norman. Picture: Scott Portelli Being a filter feeder whale sharks are dependent on healthy areas to feed … but they re also very susceptible to pollution and plastics in the ocean. It appeared the animal had two shark bites out of its body but Dr Norman believed this would have happened after it died.