Thresher And Dog Sharks Need Help In Donsol
A while ago I blogged about how Batangas Port was going to protect Thresher sharks. It was great news. Now I have bad news to report about the same animal in the same country. In Donsol, whale shark capital of the Philippines Thresher sharks are being heavily fished and finned and dog sharks are as well for their livers. Gunther Diechman passed this along to us, after a network of concerned people passed it along to him. We urge you to pass along the news as well. With proper efforts, the Whale Shark has been protected in Donsol, and Thresher in Batangas. Lets get the same protection for Threshers and dog sharks in Donsol. Here is what Denise from ecorescue sent to Lee Goldman, marine biologist and friend of Gunther.
Hey Guys
Sorry to depress you with these photos... They were taken in Donsol, Sorsogon (whale shark habitat), just two weeks ago by my friend Omar. The finned sharks are thresher, hunted by the hundreds...
The pink stuff in the bucket are little pieces of shark liver (from dog sharks) for squalene. Pictured here are of the liver from some 1,000 + dogsharks that were caught. They live at least 2 fathoms deep...
This is the way the fishermen earn in the off season. They sell it to middle men who bring it to Taiwan and Hong Kong. I’ve seen firsthand the hunting of dog shark and finning in Sorsogon and even Siargao but I am certain in happens everywhere.
What we can DO is raise awareness.
Please forward if you wish
Thanks,
Denise
www.ecorescue.org
Here is what Lee wrote in response...
Donsol, Sorsogon, Philippines is known internationally as being an area that attracts some of the largest congregations of whale sharks in the world. Originally hunted for their commercial value, the sharks have recently gained full protection status throughout the Philippines. This was largely due to the world-wide recognition they received from WWF and the incredibly positive response from the tourism industry (both locally and internationally).
Obviously the local fisherman, whom are harshly punished if they pursue Whale sharks, have found another animal to exploit, Thresher sharks. Unfortunately, this species has the same ‘vulnerable to extinction’ status as their cousins, the Whale shark. Just as unfortunate, they do not have the same protection in Philippine waters. That can change…
Local and international awareness campaigns proved their effectiveness in protecting the whale shark. It can be done with the Thresher sharks as well. Just a bit of education and an economic value larger than what can be provided by fishing them must be provided (the notion that protecting an animal for the sake of protecting biodiversity, especially in third world countries, is not a reality…misguided but true). Fortunately, there is both education and a real economic value already being recognized in other places within the Philippines. On the small island of Malapascua, Threshers sharks have gained protection due primarily to the recognition that they 'bring-in' more money as a live attraction for SCUBA divers than as a dead animal sold as parts to the neighboring Asian countries. Taking a page from Donsol, local operators developed community based awareness programs and contribute to the community by providing jobs and much needed infrastructure. The results have been positive for both sharks and people. In Donsol, the attention has been on the Whale shark, now help is needed to expand the attitude of protection to other species as well…
Lee Goldman
Lee Goldman, MSc
Marine Biologist
SE Asia Kayak Tours
Open up your mind guys, do you really want to educate the people of Donsol?
Well, you better educate the public officials first if I were you.
I lived there before. So i dont recommend educating the people "first"..?
Thats a bad idea, because most of the people there, already knew what to do, they just cant, because you know all kinds of cindicates are there..illegal fishing, drugs, prostitution..
Fishermen in Donsol catches thresher shark because, they dont have any other fish to catch!
Why? Because of the illegal fishing! These illegal fishers, uses illegal power lights that can reach sea bed, when the fish are swam around the light, they pull the net, they dont care if theres a small fish, pregnant fish, they dont care!
Maybe you should think about enforcing the coast guard first! Ang capture that greedy bastards who stole fish from the people of Donsol..
Ask them, they are aware of this! It make me think you are stupid to think that you're blaming the people because of they are uneducated you said?
I tell you, they are educated, but there's a devil behind this. And thats the cindicate and the officials involved, they are so greedy, they got no conscience.
Conclusion: If you want to stop this thresher shark killing, stop the illegal fishing first!!!
First,Q#1. Do you really want to educate the people?
A#1. Yes, Because i am a Government Licensed Teacher.
Q#2. Educate the officials not the people.
A#2. Is i really had for you to admit that only 2% of the our people finish college and does not know that killing vast numbers of sharks negatively affect the biodiversity? I doubt even you don't know it.
Q#3. About the illegal fishermen that cannot be contained by law enforcers.
A#3. If you are really educated you might know that most of our officials are corrupt if not all, right? Now, why I say the people? Because if the problem is really significant for the the people and the law enforcers are unmindful about it. It is the collective action of the masses, that must work for this.. Not your so-called cindicates that i think suppose to be syndicates.
Q#4. The people catch threshers because there are no other options, right?
A#4. Again you are wrong, if thresher sharks is the only specie that is available. Why is it that there are still a lot of fish in the market.??
Q#5. That illegal fishermen catch pregnant and small fish?
A#5. For your info, even the legal fishermen catch small and pregnant fish indiscriminately in our seas. That is one of the reasons that they must be educated.
Q#6. You say that I accuse people that they are uneducated.
A#6. I never accuse the people that they are uneducated. It seems t0 me you are the one. Well it is hard to admit, perhaps there are lot of them. Why? we can see the literal evidence of indiscriminate fishing practiced by even by your legal fishermen.
Conclusion: Wish to inform you that the illegal fishermen are already been paralyzed if not stopped 100%.
Kaya inoy kin taga Donsol ka talaga masabotan mo aning usipon ko. Kin maki diskusyon ka sakon, pakirayon mo an argument mo, an spelling mo ta makasupog taga donsol ka pa man din, an grammar mo. Kaya sa utro noy pakirayon mo.
An dapat mong gibon magtabang ka para mapondo an paguran ng maski unong pating ta maraot an food chain, pero akoun mo na hindi ka na magkawn ng kinunot ta wara na pating hahahahahaha.