Whale shark feeding is a big draw for tourists to the town of Tan-awan in the southern Philippines island of Cebu. Whale sharks are a major tourist attraction for the island but there is an ongoing controversy over feeding the "gentle giants."
Tan-awan was a quiet village that never had tourists until fisherman started to lure in giant whale sharks by feeding them shrimp. With more or the animals near the village, hundreds of divers and snorkelers flock to the island of Cebu to get a close up on the whale shark, Reuters reports.
However biologists and nature lovers are upset over the practice, calling it unnatural, and have asked the fisherman to stop.
"Some people are asking that we stop feeding, but if we stop feeding, what is our livelihood?" Ramonito Lagahid, vice chairman of the Tan-awan Oslob Sea Warden and Fishermen Association (TOSWFA) told Reuters. "We have to go back to fishing."
Even though they're technically sharks and can grow up to 42 feet long and weigh more than 21.5 tons, whale sharks are peaceful and mainly feed on small things like algae, plankton and krill.
Lagahid argues that whale sharks have always been around Tan-awan and he remembers seeing them since he was a child.
"They are always around when we go out at night to collect 'uyap,' he said, referring to a kind of small shrimp that the whale sharks are fed. "Many times we have to stop fishing because the whale sharks are around," he told Reuters.
Outsiders started to learn about the whale shark population near Tan-awan two years ago through word of mouth of the Internet. Tourists from the Philippines and other parts of the world started to flock to the village by the hundreds every day.
About eight to 10 whale sharks show up during feeding that take place from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m, but sometimes as many as 20 appear near the beach.
Locals have taken advantage of the tourist draw, but the prices aren't high. To watch the whale sharks, tourists can pay 500 pesos ($12.29) to see them to 1,500 pesos to dive with them. The fees are combined and split between guides and boat drivers. They make about 1,000 to 1,500 pesos a day.
"It is easier working in the whale shark area, ....can earn a lot of money", said Aikie Lagahid, 23, Ramoncito's nephew and a fisherman who now works as a whale shark spotter and boatman. "In the morning we take the guests out, and in the afternoon, we play basketball."
Tourists are fascinated by the giant whale shark.
"It (the whale shark) is really big, so it was really an experience," said Cecilia Buguis, a Philippine tourist. "I would definitely tell my friends about it.
Yet biologists believe that whale shark feeding may create long-term problems. According to experts, it is rare to have that many whale sharks in a small space at the same time. Feeding the animals from boats and close rande is also unnatural.
"It looks like being in a zoo, a circus, looking at the animal walking up and down being fed. This is not a natural behavior that you see," said Alessandro Ponzo, the president of environmental group Physalus.
"The experience that you have ... is not the same as when you see them in the wild, in their natural environment. What you learn here is that wild life is (fine) to be exploited as a tourism attraction."
The biologists believe the feeding will lead the animals to develop unnatural social behaviors such as aggression or competition.
A Facebook group has formed in opposition to the whale shark feedings. The "Stop Whale Shark Feeding in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines" Facebook page has more than 880 likes.
Environmental groups understand the importance of the whale shark tourism, but they want the feedings to be done in a more sustainable way/
Animal rights groups say they understand the importance of tourism as a source of livelihood, but emphasize that it has to be done in a sustainable way in order to become a long-term possibility.
"You should stop the detrimental effect to the shark, but you should also improve the livelihood of the community as well," said biologist Samantha Craven, the group's project coordinator in Oslob. "Real eco-tourism is something entirely achievable."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
