Another whale shark sighted in Lingayen Gulf

BINMALEY, Pangasinan — Beachgoers here were treated anew to the sighting of a whale shark, locally called supok, Saturday afternoon while swimming in this part of the historic Lingayen Gulf.

Last May 20, three whale sharks, including a mother and a baby, were seen in the Gulf. They were believed to have stayed there for three days, although beachgoers said they saw another one in Bonuan Beach in Dagupan City, which is adjacent to this town, the other week.

Fishery officials said the sightings of whale sharks in the Gulf in the past two years are still a mystery.

Tinong de la Cruz, a 68-year-old fisherman, said they accidentally caught four whale sharks the other week, but that they released them because no one would buy the meat.

"(Villagers) said the meat is like grease because if you grill it, it’s like candle that melts under the heat," he said in the dialect.

Fellow fisherman Melchor Escaño, 55, said it is better to release these sharks, which he described to be as big as their boats, because the sea mammals "are like humans."

What amused the two old fishermen were the star-shaped spots on the whale sharks’ skin, which they said were as big as the palm.

Environmentalists in the province are calling on authorities and local government units to protect the "visitors" whose presence in the Lingayen Gulf can be a natural tourist attraction similar to what happened in Donsol, Sorsogon.