Grote walvishaai in Manila Bay (Filippijnen) overlijdt terwijl vissers dier aan wal brengen

Whale shark found in Manila Bay

28-10-2009 abs-cbnNEWS.com. Philippines


MANILA – Local fishermen were surprised to see a whale shark or “butanding” in Manila Bay before dawn on Wednesday. The fishermen spotted the 20 ft. long whale shark as they were going to the open sea at around 1:30 a.m.

The whale shark was floating on its belly and its fins were still flapping, the fishermen claimed. However, the whale shark died 10 minutes after it was brought to the shore.

“Papalaot kami kanina mga ala-una. Pagkadating namin sa laot, nakita namin ito nakatihaya… akala ko nga punong-kahoy na nakalutang-lutang,” said fisherman Mr. Sadat.

The whale shark’s cause of death is still unknown. Coast guard members who arrived on the scene said they did not find injuries in their inspection except for a wound on the tail.
They said the wound could have been inflicted by the rope used to pull the whale shark which was tied around its tail.

Another whale shark, about 2 ft. long, was seen floating around the bigger whale shark while it was being pulled to the shore.

When they reached the shore, the smaller whale shark was nowhere to be found.

The coast guard has contacted the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to ask about what should be done next.

In December of last year, a carcass of a baleen whale was found floating beside a passenger ship on Pier 13 of Manila Bay, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reported.

Another baleen whale that was “bloated and badly decomposed” was seen floating at the mouth of Manila Bay in 2007.

– With a report from Niko Baua, ABS-CBN News

(Bron: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/)
(Bron foto's: ABS-CBN News)