Megamouth Shark # 46: Megamouth shark in Whale Shark waters
March 31, 2009
Sources of Information:
Elson Q. Aca
Project Manager
Whale Shark Tracking in Donsol, Sorsogon Project
World Wide Fund for Nature – Philippines (WWF-Phils)
Email: eaca@wwf.org.ph
Mobile Nos.: +63 918 9220738
+63 921 2188811
Megamouth #46
© Elson Q. Aca
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Every year whale sharks
visits Donsol to feed on
Burias pass’ plankton rich
waters. And now, we have
documented another filter
feeding shark in these
waters but in a most
unfortunate circumstance.
In the morning of
March 30, 2009
fishermen from
Donsol caught on
their gill nets a
megamouth shark
(
Megachasma
pelagios) while
fishing for Alumahan (Rastrelliger kanagurta) and Tulingan
(Auxis rochei) on the eastern coast of Burias island on the waters of Burias pass. Already dead
and unable to put the shark on board, they tied it up and dragged it to Barangay Dancalan,
Donsol, Sorsogon.
People have been notified and news reached WWFPhilippines
office in Donsol in order for proper identification
and documentation of the catch. Elson Q. Aca, project
manager of the Donsol Field office, responded to the call to
investigate on the matter.
Upon reaching the site, the fishermen were cooperative in
giving out information about the catch and even help out in
measuring the shark. Mr. Aca provided necessary
information about the shark and answers questions of the
onlookers about its existence. It was also an opportune time
to interview fishermen about the regularity of the catch and it
seems that in the 1970s or 1980s a similar animal was caught
in the area, butchered and eaten by locals. No other detailed
information was gotten from that shark.
The recent shark measures four (4) meters long and
roughly 400-500kg was a male and has some cuts near
the left side of the mouth. It was accidentally caught in
the eastern side of Burias island with a depth of
approximately 200 meters using a gill net. The
stomach content was investigated and saw several
balaw (shrimp larvae) inside. The fishermen continued
chopping the shark for distribution and probably for
selling. Mr. Aca recommended that the shark would
not be consumed since the reason of its death is not
known. Possibility of a disease may be transferred to
humans when the meat is digested. However, shark and ray meat cooked in coconut milk, chilli
pepper and malunggay is a local delicacy called kinunot. The selling of any shark meat in the
area cost around Php 40 to 70 per kilo and the ironic thing was, it would cost much cheaper if it
comes from a shark that is not well known like this one coming from a megamouth.
This incident only put emphasis the importance of these
waters in terms of biodiversity of its marine life. We don’t
however want to these animals as part of just some statistics
like those of a megamouth whose identification is based on
just the number of sighting/stranding (less than 50). Ample
protection should be taken because it could be a haven for
the two (of three) filter feeding sharks namely the whale
shark and megamouth. Megamouth shark presence isn’t
suprising if you consider the existence of food in the area.
Who knows in the future the basking shark (the other filter
feeding shark) will find its way to these waters too.
Let’s continue to provide them a healthy environment so that we could pass on our children a
living planet (and not the one they only read on books as part of history).
| © Elson Q. Aca
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| © Elson Q. Aca
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| © Elson Q. Aca
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| © Elson Q. Aca
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| © Elson Q. Aca
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| © Elson Q. Aca
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| © Elson Q. Aca
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| © Elson Q. Aca
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