Death of whale shark baffles experts

Manila: The presence of a dead young whale shark off Manila Bay has baffled experts as they noted an increased number of sightings of the endangered species outside their habitat.

Dr Lemuel Aragones, Associate Professor of the University of the Philippines Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, told Gulf News that experts were carrying out an autopsy on the carcass of the dead female whale shark.

The whale shark, whose scientific name is Rhincodon typus, was found on Wednesday close to the breakwater in Manila Bay.

"We would like to know what killed this creature so that we can avoid deaths of this species which is already [on] the ‘endangered' list," Aragones said.

Reports said that when experts conducted a aut-opsy on the six-metre long whale shark, several items were discovered in its stomach. These allegedly included nails and plastic products, leading to some experts to conclude that the whale died from pollution.

According to reports, fishermen found the ailing whale shark swimming erratic and very weak. They notified the Philippines Coast Guard which immediately tried to rescue the sea creature to no avail.

While the ingestion of inorganic materials and metal objects may appear to be the cause of the death of the whale shark, Aragones said their findings disputed this. He said the creature may have succumbed to red tide poisoning.

"There were strong indications that the whale shark had died from paralytic shellfish poisoning," he said.

The presence of the whale shark in Manila Bay baffled marine experts as the creature does not normally go to the area. However, there have been increasing sightings in Subic Bay and in the provinces of Batangas and Quezon, of late.

Aragones said that the whale shark may have found waters rich in plankton, the microscopic creatures that it feeds on.

"It must have entered Manila Bay in its search for plankton and food, but unfortunately it stumbled on an area where there is also red tide," he said.

Protect species

Whale sharks are slow moving sharks that feed by opening their huge mouths and filtering the microscopic plankton.

They are the largest living fish species and are designated under protected marine wildlife in the Philippines.

The province of Donsol in Sorsogon in the Bicol region where fishermen had once hunted whale sharks, are now earning revenues from tourists who visit the province to watch the whales.