A butanding (whale sharks) in the waters off Albay Gulf.
By MAR S
ARGUELLES
LEGAZPI CITY: A total of 90 appearances of whale sharks have
so far been recorded in the waters off Albay Gulf, some 30 meters from the
shorelines of the Legazpi Boulevard, during the past two weeks, according to
Bem Redito, city butanding interaction officer during an interview recently.
Redito said the
presence of whale sharks was first noted during the first week of the month
with six sighted, followed by another two in the second week.
The eight whale
sharks, with measurements ranging from six meters to 13 meters long, have been
frolicking along the shorelines of Legazpi Boulevard, bringing in hundreds of
viewers daily since Feb. 2, he said.
Redito said
that since their first appearance here, the gentle sea giants have attracted at
least 40 foreign tourists from Europe, Germany, United States, Japan,
Singapore, and Korea to watch and interact with the whale sharks.
Asked if these
butandings came from the coastal waters of Donsol town in Sorsogon, Redito said
the butandings in Legazpi appeared to be juvenile, or of younger age, which may
not have come from Sorsogon, the whalesharks’ traditional habitat during
summer, as he cite photo identification conducted recently by the WWF.
Tourism and
business in this city have been on the upbeat for almost three weeks now since
the gentle sea creatures’ first appearance here, actually the third time that
the whalesharks had strayed along AlbayGulf, although this time they were of a
relatively large number.
City Mayor Noel
Rosal said in an interview that hundreds of local and foreign tourists have
enjoyed watching the whalesharks swimming and frolicking along the shorelines
of the Legazpi City Boulevard in the vicinity of the coastal villages of
Dapdap, Puro and Lamba.
Rosal said that
because of the influx of foreign and local visitors as well as local tourists,
his office had issued an executive order providing for a code of conduct that
seeks to regulate butanding interaction in the city.
Earlier, at
least two butanding interaction officers and two boatmen were reprimanded and
suspended for allowing foreign tourists to ride on the back of a whale shark in
spite of the guidelines issued.
Rosal said the
code of conduct is based on the guidelines laid down by the World Wildlife Fund
which prohibits the practice of touching, riding on, and feeding the whale
shark, restricting the movement of the whale shark, taking underwater
photography with a flash, and using scuba apparatus, scooters, jet ski or any
motorized underwater gadgets that disturb the gentle animals’ habitat.
Swimmers
interacting with the butanding are allowed to swim along with the creature at a
distance of four meters from the tail and three meters from the head and body.
Joan Encinares,
the city tourism officer, said in an interview that in order to strictly
enforce the code, they have trained and accredited 14 butanding boatmen as well
as motor boats bearing white and red flags and the city government seal.
She said that
under the guidelines, non-accredited sea crafts and boatmen will not be allowed
to engage in any interaction activity or get near the whale shark.
Daily whale
shark interaction will only be allowed from 7.30am to 3pm.
The city
government also provides for the interaction fees, as follows: P1,000 per small
boat for two guests and P1,500 for big boats to accommodate four or more
guests, including a P100 registration fee, Encinares said.
Legazpi
Boulevard is a major road network by the bay where business establishments such
as restaurants, bistros,videoke bars, and refreshment parlors are located.
Chito Ante,
city business consultant, in an interview said that incomes from businesses
along the boulevard have been increasing as their operations went 24/7.
The presence of
whale sharks in Albay Gulf has been attributed to the abundant supply of
plankton that whalesharks eat, Rosal said.
Donsol town in
Sorsogon used to be tagged by tourism authorities as the Butanding Capital of
the country because of the presence there of whalesharks that measure as much
as 14 meters in legth.
Butanding
season traditionally covers the month of February until March every year where
thousands of local and foreign visitors spend their holidays in Donsol town,
some 47 kilometers from this city.
However, last
year, butanding sightings in the coastal waters of Donsol dwindled because of
the rising sea temperature due to climate change, stress, and lack of food.
Alan Amanse,
Donsol BIO board chairperson, confirmed in an earlier interview that the rising
sea temperature, stress, and decreasing plankton supply are the factors that
cause the whale sharks to transfer to cooler areas where plankton supply are
also abundant for their food.
That is why, he
said, sightings of butanding in Donsol dropped from eight sightings in 2012 to
only two during the first half of 2013, endangering the tourism industry of the
town.
Amanse said sea
temperature in their area rose from the ideal temperature range of 26 to 27
degrees to 29 to 30 degrees last year.
Currently,
there are only two eight-meter long and two-meter wide whale sharks swimming
off Donsol waters.
They are
“Curly,” a butanding with curly dorsal fin, and “Lucky,” with a nylon cord tied
on the tail.
“Walana ‘yongmgamalalaki measuring 14-meters
long, and gone are the likes of the famous ‘Putol’ and ‘Nognog,’ Amanse said.
Another cause
for their decreasing number in the town, he lamented, is too much stress
inflicted on the whalesharks because of the many interaction events that the
BIOs conducted during butanding sightings in Donsol town from May and December
every year.
Rey Aquino,
town councilor, claims that rampant gathering of plankton by fisherfolk for
their own subsistence and ecoli contamination in Donsol river due to wastes
from household toilets carelessly installed near the riverbanks contributed
further to the loss of food supply (plankton) for the whalesharks that
naturally have to find other food source that today can be found along Albay
Gulf. - BicolMail
