To Swim With Giants!

The news filtered through diving circles like a bushfire: whale sharks, dozens of them, had been sighted off the

coast of Bicol. At first, a trickle of divers set off to sort out truth from fiction. Pretty soon, a veritable horde of

whale watchers descended on Donsol to do what none ever imagined possible...

To Swim With Giants!

Donsol is a quiet, sleepy town at the mouth of the Donsol River. The River flows from the picturesque volcanic cone

of Mt. Mayon, which overlooks Donsol in a picture perfect postcard setting.

No one knows where they come from, or why they are there. It is assumed that the river carries some form of

nutrient the whale sharks feast on, but it is not known for sure if that is really the case.

Scientific observers counted over 90 female whale sharks, no males, congregating in the murky waters off Donsol

between February and June of 1998. Locals say that the sharks are always there, mostly unseen because the

waters of the Burias Passage are too rough to ply most of the year, leaving the behemoths undisturbed by man.

From February to late May, the whale sharks venture nearer the surface as the water calms, allowing snorkelers to

swim safely alongside them - provided they follow a few simple rules. Failure to follow etiquette invariably results in

a rapidly diving shark and an embarrassed swimmer. The whale shark phenomenon was brought to light,

unsurprisingly enough, by the discovery of whale shark carcasses being butchered and packaged for shipment to

Taiwan.

Writes Louis Barrios of Dive Elite, "fishermen from Donsol have never hunted these butandings (the local name for

whale sharks). The whale shark hunters and poachers come from other parts of the Philippines to prey on the

helpless whale sharks present in great numbers off the municipal waters of Donsol. Certain individuals are behind a

whale shark fishery to catch and slaughter these animals for the export market, predominantly to Taiwan, as profits

to be made from such a venture are deemed considerable.

Once abundant off the waters of Pamilacan Island in Bohol, whale sharks have been hunted there to a degree where

they are now considered rare in that area.

The whale shark hunters then shifted their operations elsewhere, and were able to catch and slaughter 6 whale

sharks in Donsol, with some of those killings occurring as recently as the 23rd of March. These actions prompted the

Donsol town council, with the urging of the Sorsogon Provincial Tourism Council, to propose an ordinance banning

whale shark fisheries.

Efforts from concerned groups and individuals were able to drum quite an uproar that caught the attention of the

local media, the national government and even the President to take notice. In fact, Agriculture Secretary Salvador

Escudero III signed Fisheries and Administrative Order (FAO) 193, series of 1998 which places penalties on

individuals or corporations engaged in catching and slaughtering whale sharks and manta rays."

The value of the meat in the Taiwanese markets, to which most of the meat is being shipped, is many times higher

than what is paid to the Filipino fishermen for thecarcasses, reaping rich rewards for the Chinese traders. Nothing of

these profits trickles back to the subsistence fishermen who are supplying the flesh.

Since the phenomenon came to light, local banceros have made a killing of another sort, charging around 5,000

pesos a day for a boat to the hundreds of tourists wanting to swim with the butandings. Local Donsol folk quickly

realized that the huge number of 'trippers', most of whom travel overland from their hotels in Sorsogon about an

hour away, needed feeding, so daily barbecue lunches of locally caught fish were served al fresco.

Obviously, there is concern that unless the rapid development of tourism infrastructure is carefully supervised there

is every chance that the very environment that so mysteriously nurtures the giant whale sharks may quickly become

polluted by the wastes of those who hold their greatest interest at heart.

Perhaps the most amazing facet of this phenomenon is that it has remained hidden from the world for so long.

According to the scientists, this is the largest gathering of whale sharks ever recorded, an unprecedented

opportunity to learn from one of the largest creatures in the ocean.

To the citizens of Planet Earth, the butandings of Donsol present an enigmatic challenge.

The Philippines has the opportunity to develop an environmentally sound, socially equitable eco-experience

unparalleled in the history of tourism.

Failure to manage this most precious natural resource sustainably and compassionately is not an option. The

consequences are unthinkable.

For more information on the whale sharks of Donsol, contact: KKP (WWF Philippines: Kabang Kalikasan ng Pilipinas)

at (63-2) 433 3220 to 22, fax (63-2) 426 3927, e-mail kkp@mozcom.com. To book painless whale watching tours,

call Scuba World, tel. (63-2) 985 7805, 890 7805, fax (63-2) 8908982, swidive@compass.com.ph (see ad on page 9

of this issue) or call us at The Philippine Diver on telefax (63-2) 525 8041, diver@epic.net, website

http://www.diver.com.ph for more information.