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E-mailAn 18-foot whale shark (Rhincodon typus, locally known as the butanding) found in the shallows of Bahay Kambing cove, Tingloy town in Batangas, with its dorsal and pectoral fins sliced off has raised outrage from the Philippine sector of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines).
"WWF condemns the perpetrators of this illegal act,” said Joel Palma, vice president of WWF-Philippines Conservation Programs.
The butanding, a gentle giant, is known to be the largest species of fish in the world. It is also considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
“This is a real eye-opener, for it proves that the slaughter of endangered species – even one as big as a butanding – can still take place if we let our guard down,” Palma added. “The public and private sectors must come together to refine and polish current conservation mechanisms.”
The mutilated whale shark was discovered by scuba divers from the Acacia Resort in Mabini on Monday. It was floating belly-up with its fins and parts of its tail apparently slashed off with a knife. Local volunteers and members of the marine patrol group Bantay Dagat built a rack around the giant fish to stabilize it, but were unable to save its life.
“Sadly, its wounds were too great – and the shark, nicknamed ‘Tingloy Baby,’ died the next day,” said Gregg Yan, information, education and communications officer of WWF-Philippines. The whale shark’s remains were buried on Tuesday.
Reports of supposed fishermen taking night cruises along Mabini and Tingloy with powerful strobe lights mounted on their boats have led the conservation agency to pin the deed on local poachers.
"Shark fins and meat are usually exported to China, Hongkong and Taiwan. Whale shark flesh, called ‘Tofu meat’ sells for roughly $8 (P360) per kilogram, while dried shark fins are valued a hundred times more – approximately $800 (P36,000) per kilogram," said a WWF-Philippines statement.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), headed by director Malcolm Sarmiento, is conducting a full investigation of the incident.
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