Regional Director Jovita P. Ayson of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Cagayan Valley (Philippines) has denounced the recent killing of a two-meter long shake shark off the coastal town of Sta. Ana in Cagayan.
Ayson said the regional office's monitoring, control and surveillance section reported that the 60-kilogram mammal was entangled and caught in a net ring cast by FN Rapu Rapu vessel owned by Charito Ragmac Sr., a resident of Barangay Palauig in Sta. Ana.
She warned that fishing of endangered marine species especially those listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, to which the Philippine is a signatory, is punishable by imprisonment of 12 to 20 years and payment of P120,000 fine.
Ayson said the regional office did not file the appropriate charges against the fishermen and buyer for humanitarian reasons.
"The incident only proves that there exists in Cagayan Valley whale sharks, albeit the sad note," she said.
Residents of Sta. Ana claim that whale sharks abounded in their town in the early 80s.
The unabated hunting of the mammals eventually drove the species away, leaving only a few.
[FULL STORY -
http://news.balita.ph/html/article.php/20060714182204455]
