Whale-Shark Watching Brings Tourism to Philippine Village

By Paul Ciampanelli Mar 13th 2013

Whale-shark watching has brought booming tourism to a once-quiet Philippine village, but now biologists are saying it may not be such a great idea, according to the Daily Mail U.K.



Until about two years ago, fishing was one of the chief ways to work in Tan-awan, and fishermen there made a modest living. If the town saw any tourists, they were usually just passing through. But then, Internet postings from a few visitors to Tan-awan reported the fascinating whale sharks that visited the village's waters. People started showing up to see for themselves. Tan-awan went from seeing virtually no tourism to several hundred daily visitors.

Whale sharks are the largest fish on the planet. They're also docile, which means tourists don't have to settle for just watching the enormous animals; they can swim with them, too. They only need to pay the fees: 500 pesos to watch (about US$12.24) and 1,500 pesos to swim. But as part of the new business, the fishermen spend seven hours a day feeding shrimp to the sharks to keep them around. Now, biologists are decrying the practice.



Italy-based environmental group Physalus says it's unnatural to have so many whale sharks in one area, interacting with humans. They say it could lead to abnormal social behaviors among the sharks and could spread disease. They don't wish to eliminate the new tourism as an important part of Tan-awan's economy, but emphasize that it must be done in a sustainable way. "You should stop the detrimental effect to the shark, but you should also improve the livelihood of the community as well," said Physalus biologist Samantha Craven. "Real eco-tourism is something entirely achievable."

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