The latest Red List classification of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has put the whale shark, locally known as butanding, at an increasing risk of extinction.
Two other species were included in the list -- the winghead shark and the Bornean orangutan. While the whale sharks and the winghead sharsk are now listed as "endangered," the Borean orangutan is listed as "critically endangered," IUCN said.
Whale sharks are the largest fish in the sea, with length that can reach up to 40 feet and an average weight of 20.6 tons.
In a news release, IUCN said the new assessment revealed that the "growing human pressures" on whale sharks, winghead sharks and Bornean orangutans are putting these species at an increasing risk of extinction.
Director Theresa Mundita Lim of the DENR's Biodiversity Management Bureau said there is a need for stronger cooperation among countries to ensure the global protection of migratory marine wildlife that are threatened with extinction.
Environmental orgarnizations said the report is alarming especially for a country which fought for the listing of whale sharks in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals.
The Philippines is a known migratory route of marine wildlife, including the whale sharks. These gentle sea giants tend to stay longer along coastal areas, where they feel undisturbed.
Whale sharks feed on phytoplankton, macroalgae plankton, krill and small nektronic life, such as small squids, scientists say.
Although conservation efforts were made in countries where whale sharks are found, they are still being fished out of water by tuna fishermen, since the two species are often found together.
Photo: Expatch
Source: Business Mirror | PhilStar
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