Dynamite fishing blamed for butanding’s death

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines - – Dynamite fishing killed a 22-foot whale shark or butanding that had been washed ashore in Sta. Ana, Cagayan on Saturday, an official of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said yesterday.

As this developed, Sta. Ana police chief Senior Inspector Darwin Urdani placed fishermen in the area under surveillance for allegedly using explosives.

The whale shark was first spotted off Palaui Island near Port San Vicente, where it was later found. The island was off-limits to fishermen and residents during the production of the reality television series “Survivor,” which ended in August last year.

Urdani said during the period no blasting incidents were reported in the area.

“The whale shark was disoriented every time we attempted to push it to the deeper part of the sea. It kept on swimming in circles until it reached the shore,” said BFAR veterinarian Jefferson Soriano.

It took several personnel from the police, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Navy to guide the butanding back to the deeper waters, but it was found dead the next morning.

Soriano said they had to chop the three-ton animal into five parts, as the backhoe could not pull it into the grave on Sunday.

Soriano said he found a piece of wood in the fish’s belly, which he said could have caused the animal difficulty in eating.