MikeLigalig.com

By Marlon Alexander Luistro
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 14:43:00 01/13/2008


CALATAGAN, Batangas -- Residents of Barangay (village) Hukay here caught a whale shark in Pagapas Bay, but later released it, on the advice the fishery officials.

Jessie de los Reyes, chairman of the Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (MFARMC) in Calatagan, said the shark, locally known as "butanding," was spotted at about 8 a.m. Saturday. It had apparently become stuck in a fishing net.

De los Reyes said on Sunday he received a text message from Bantay Dagat (Sea Guard) head Rod de Jesus at about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, informing him that a butanding had been found by Hukay residents.

The group of MFARMC, Bantay Dagat and Philippine National Police Special Action Force went to the area onboard a speed boat to verify the report.

"When we arrived, we saw a rope tied to the whale shark's tail. The fish could not swim freely because it was low tide," De los Reyes said in Filipino.

He said the fishermen who owned the net did not know what kind of fish they caught, prompting them to pull the fish towards the shore.

It took at least four people to drag the shark from the sea because of its size.

The group later found out that the fish was a whale shark, measuring about 5.7 meters long.

De los Reyes said they removed the rope from the shark's tail and released the creature to the sea at about 2 p.m. on Saturday.

"When the whale shark started to flip, it was already strong," he said in Filipino.

"We have been seeing these (whale sharks) before but this was the only time that people were confident enough to drag one to the shore," he added.

Feeding on plankton and small animals, the whale is the largest living fish species in the world.

Despite its vast size, it does not pose any danger to humans.

In Calatagan, whale sharks are often seen from November to April.

During these months, these creatures are observed from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily, according to De los Reyes.

"It is often trapped inside a large fishing net, particularly that of a commercial fishing boat. When it struggles against the net, the whale shark would eventually get weak and die," he added.

The sale of whale shark's meat also threatens the sea creature's population.

"The meat is usually sold in Navotas, although underground," De los Reyes said.

He stressed the importance of preserving the whale shark to keep the balance in marine ecology.

"If ever a fisherman sees a butanding, we advise him to just let it take its course, watch (the creature) and immediately report to the MFARMC of their town," he added.


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