Posted on June, 28 2002

The bright sunlight glints on the water's surface, a dense haze hangs in the air. With a gentle sway, the small motor boat cuts a neat path through the water — a sleepy motion but for the sense of electric anticipation in the air.

Standing upright on a high platform, a 'spotter' shades his eyes with his hand whilst keeping a steady eye on the sea. He is looking for an immense dark shadow moving just below the water's surface. He is looking for the whale sharks of Donsol.

Imagine a fish the size of a bus. Known as the 'gentle giant of the ocean', the whale shark can grow up to 15m meters long and weigh more than 12 tonnes. It is in fact a shark, but people include the name 'whale' because of its size. They have broad, flat heads and are primarily a dark grey colour on top, with random white lines and dots along their backs, and a cream colour on the underside. As fearsome as they look, these gentle creatures actually feed on plankton.

There are few places in the world where one is more or less guaranteed to see these huge animals. The Ningaloo Marine Park in Western Australia is one. Donsol, a small coastal fishing town in the Philippines, has become another. Here, the local name for the sharks is butanding.

To see a whale shark is a rare treat for tourists and marine biologists alike. It is listed as a 'species under threat' by IUCN - the World Conservation Union and under Appendix 2 (threatened) of the Convention on Migratory Species.

WWF is presently an active supporter of the move to include the species under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). Skyrocketing international demand for shark fins and other shark products is driving a massive increase in shark fishing around the world. Up to 100 million sharks are killed each year. Shark fins can fetch up to $US700 a kg and in Hong Kong, a bowl of shark fin soup can sell for as much as $US140. Because of its size, a fin from a whale shark is the most highly prized for display.

In Taiwan, people call the whale shark the 'tofu shark' on account of its soft, white flesh. Many consider it a delicacy. The retail price is around US$15 per kg, making it the most expensive of all the shark meats available.

Hunting whale sharks can be lucrative, but Donsol fishermen have never hunted butandings. Hunters have come from other areas of the Philippines to prey on these helpless giants. The discovery of whale sharks in Donsol in 1997 prompted Taiwanese brokers to move into the site and commission the catching and killing of 7 whale sharks in the sanctuary. The event received extensive media coverage, resulting in a national outcry that led to law "Order No. 193" in 1998. This banned the taking, catching, selling, purchasing, possessing, transporting, or exporting of whale sharks, as well as manta rays, throughout the Philippines.

Despite the ban, environmentalists worry that illegal fisheries in Donsol's neighbouring towns still threaten the whale sharks. "Once there is an international market, it always drives the local hunters to hunt them, although they are protected in the Philippines," admits Joel Palma of the Species Programme, WWF-Philippines.

Donsol accepts the most tourists between the months of January and June, the time when the spotted giants usually appear. Tourists are allowed to swim with these mammoth creatures as long as they follow strict rules, keep their distance, and don't use scuba gear. Visitors lucky enough to swim with the sharks say it is an unforgettable, if slightly nerve racking, experience due to the sheer size and power of these enormous fish.

The people of Donsol are grateful the whale sharks have introduced them to a flourishing tourism industry, especially as fish catches are becoming progressively smaller. "We blame the trouble makers of the ocean, the purseigners — the huge industrial tankers that come at night. They shine bright lights to attract the fish and spread a two hectare wide net that scoops everything in its wake. There's nothing left for us..." says Lambert Avisado, President of Donsol's boat operator's association.

There is increasing pressure on the Philippine government by some business groups to lift the 1998 ban on hunting whale sharks and manta rays. But scientists know that any short-term money-making spin offs from hunting these animals are not worth the risk. Taking these animals out of the water could have disastrous consequences for the balance of the seas and the food chain. The continual pressure on the sea in the Philippines is immense and, as local fishermen testify, fish stocks are rapidly declining.

The Philippines has a burgeoning population and everyone lives within 100km of the ocean. Pressure on marine and coastal resources can only increase.

Donsol's ecotourism project allowing guests to swim with whale sharks is, in some ways, still in its infancy. More sectors of the community need to become involved to spread out the benefits of ecotourism. The problems of poaching and encroachment of fishing vessels are only partly addressed through law enforcement. If left unchecked, these illegal activities mean an economic loss for the municipality and a conservation loss for the country.

There is also a need to complement these efforts with environmental education. The industry can only be sustained through caring for and preserving the natural environment. Risking its health means jeopardizing the town's main source of wealth.

(917 words)

*Joanna Benn is TV Producer at WWF International.

Further information:

WWF's mission
WWF's mission is to conserve nature and ecological processes, to seek the sustainable use of natural resources, and to promote the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption whilst recognizing and respecting human needs and livelihoods. WWF's aim is to slow down, and eventually reverse, the accelerating degradation of our planet's natural environment; and to help build the future in which people live in harmony with nature.

WWF's work in the Philippines
The work of WWF Philippines, also known as Kabang Kalikasan ng Pilipinas (KKP), is focused sharply on protecting the marine environment. As part of this effort, WWF-Philippines supports whale shark ecotourism in Donsol.The waters around Donsol are part of the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas ecoregion, one of WWF's Global 200 ecoregions — a science-based global ranking of the world's most biologically outstanding habitats and the regions on which WWF concentrates its efforts.