CLOSE to 100 policymakers, advocates, government officials and shark enthusiasts called for the national protection of sharks as they gathered in Silliman University for the 2nd Philippine Shark Summit last November 10-11.
Anna Oposa, executive director of Save Philippine Seas, said that in shark and ray management and conservation issues, “we need to engage various stakeholders, from policymakers, scientists, advocates, and youth. Their issues reflect the ocean’s issues, which need to be tackled from various entry points.
“We are honored to host the country’s second Shark Summit, and we will pass a resolution to ensure that all sharks and rays species are protected and sustainably managed in the province,” said Nilo Sayson, Negros Oriental provincial board member.
“We hope that this effort will inspire our neighboring province, to send a strong message to our colleagues in the senate to pass a law that protects all shark and ray species.”
AA Yaptinchay, director of Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines, said shark tourism is already important to the Philippines, with sites like Donsol for whale sharks, Tubbataha reefs for reef sharks, and Monad Shoal for thresher sharks, showing that protecting sharks has direct socioeconomic benefits.
He said many more sites have this potential if only we could find a way to reduce the threat of unmanaged fisheries to their populations. This move is also critical to keep marine ecosystems healthy.”
The Philippines has been consuming sharks, particularly stingrays, for a Bicol-originating dish called kinunot (literally, “shredded”) in coconut milk. Devil ray and whale shark dried meat are popular for local consumption in the Visayas, until the fishing of giant manta ray and whale shark were banned in 1998.
According to the UN FAO the value of world trade in shark commodities approaches $1 billion per year.
“Sharks play a vital role within marine ecosystems and protecting sharks is one of the more holistic ways of saving the marine environment,” said Yeb Saño, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
“Sharks are typically apex predators. They help keep prey populations healthy by feeding on weak, sick, old fishes and prevent overgrazing of critical marine habitats. Removal of sharks from an ecosystem has the potential to create significant changes to predator-prey interactions in that system. Thus, saving sharks means we are also saving the future of our oceans and the lives as well as the people who depend on it.
Building on the critical milestones of the 1st Philippine Shark Summit held in Cebu in 2014, the Summit convened by Save Sharks Network Philippines (SSNP) is part of Shark Conservation Week, an awareness campaign to highlight issues on the conservation, management, and utilization of sharks, and to engage various stakeholders toward the passage of a shark and ray protection bill.