Environment

Megamouth Shark: Rare Fish Caught, Eaten in Philippines

by Tina Kells | April 7, 2009 at 08:50 am

1460 views | 4 Recommendations | 3 comments

A megamouth shark has been caught and eaten by fishermen in the Phillipines. The rare fish is one of the most endangered species on earth according to the World Wildlife Fund, with only 40 others recorded in the wild.

Yan said the fish was tagged "Megamouth 41" — the 41st megamouth recorded in the world — by the Florida Museum of Natural History. It was the eighth reported encountered in Philippine seas.

He said the megamouth was caught in 660-foot (200-meter) deep waters, which are also frequented by the endangered whale shark, the world's largest fish and also a filter-feeder in the Donsol area, about 185 miles (300 kilometers) southeast of Manila.

Aca said the presence of two of the world's three filter-feeding sharks along with manta rays and dolphins indicates that the region's marine ecosystem was still relatively healthy and should continue to be protected.

Yan urged fishermen who encounter the rare shark to immediately report to authorities or the WWF.

The first megamouth shark found in modern times was caught in Hawaii in 1976. The unusual looking fish was of a previously unknown genus and family type and scientists had to reclassify it as something completely new. The megamouth shark is also known as Megachasma pelagios.

The megamouth shark, Megachasma pelagios, is an extremely rare and unusual species of deepwater shark. Discovered in 1976, only a few have ever been seen, with 41 specimens known to have been caught or sighted as of 2009 and three recordings on film. Like the basking shark and whale shark, it is a filter feeder, and swims with its enormous mouth wide open, filtering water for plankton and jellyfish. It is distinctive for its large head with rubbery lips. It is so unlike any other type of shark that it is classified in its own family Megachasmidae, though it has been suggested that it may belong in the family Cetorhinidae of which the basking shark is currently the sole member.

The megamouth shark is considered to be so rare, and so endangered, that World Wildlife Fund officials on hand at the capture literally begged the fishermen to set it free. The capture and ingestion of the 41st known megamouth shark is being mourned by animal activists.

The 1,100-pound (500-kilogram) 13-foot (4-meter) megamouth died while struggling in the fishermen's net on March 30 off Burias island in the central Philippines. It was taken to nearby Donsol in Sorsogon province, where it was butchered and eaten, said Gregg Yan, spokesman for WWF-Philippines.

Yan said a WWF Donsol Project Manager Elson Aca took pictures of the megamouth and tried to dissuade the fishermen from eating it. Shark meat is the main ingredient in a local delicacy.

6 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Babel-Fish

at 19:59 on April 9th, 2009

I am not shocked at the fact the shark ended up on the dinner table. Unfortunately its hard to educate fishermen here in the Philippines about protected species and I have seen many protected species being sold in the markets.

Efforts are being made by the government but the sea is a hard place to police

fayala

at 07:27 on April 16th, 2009

I'm Filipino and my family has an island resort that we use for ecotourism. We have a giant clam sanctuary and every time, the tourists always offer us money so they can catch, cook and eat the clams. This is much worse though.

The Philippine government is making considerable efforts to protect our marine biodiversity but for these fishermen, food is food.