Whale Shark Stuck Fast with Nowhere to Go In Subic, Philippines

Whale shark - Zac Wolf

A tiny whale shark has been stuck with nowhere to go at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone’s waters, marine researches commented on Monday.

The whale shark, locally known as a “butanding”, was first discovered at the Boton Wharf this past Thursday, according to Arkilo Villacen, a worker in Subic.

Arkilo, who operates the cranes for a living, has commented that he and his colleagues were expecting the arrival of a speedboat on the wharf when they spotted this 5 meter long interloper.

He has said that he was rather shaken at first, as he thought the thing was a meat-eating shark. Which isn’t surprising, as they do share a striking resemblance to those other sharks.

However, the whale shark really does get a bum rap. They are peaceful creatures, and subsist on plankton and other small plants. They can grow to be over 12 meters long and are the largest living fish species known to science at this time.

Jonathaniel Apurado, a marine biologist, thinks that the small whale shark hails from the South China Sea, and is quite possibly lost.

He has expressed concern that the whale shark might be injured or killed if it is hit by propellers by the seafaring vessels and speedboats in the highly trafficked waters at Subic.

Apurado has stated that the whale shark should be helped back out to the open seas, as there is not enough plankton available in Subic Bay. He added that the whale shark will also be reported to the Bureau of Fisheries ad Aquatic Resources, so that they may help the poor creature home.