Shark meat ‘sold’ in Tagbilaran market

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines – A thresher shark was slaughtered and its meat allegedly displayed for sale recently in the city public market here, a foreign diver, who is now based in Panglao town, said.

Holger Horn had this to say on his Facebook account: “Basically all sharks are on the endangered species list and this thresher shark is no difference.”

“It was spotted at the market opposite or beside ICM (Island City Mall) in Tagbilaran City. There is an existing law in the province of Cebu, protecting all sharks. Also, Daanbantayan declared a shark sanctuary within their municipality.

Dear politicians of Bohol, don't you think that it is high time to jump into the footsteps of Cebu? Sharks, especially whale sharks are following migration patterns and their 'homes' are all oceans and seas around and beyond the Philippines. And therefore Cebu's efforts need to be complemented by other provinces until such time the whole Philippines is protecting all shark species, all manta species and other rays.”

The posting of the thresher shark being sold at the market made rounds on the social media until press time yesterday.

Mike Stone posted a comment on the Facebook post that the unidentified lady vendor showed her thresher shark meat saying, “She acts as if she did something special by cutting and selling this magnificent creature. The money pouch resting on her stomach will never be enough.”

“Greed and ignorance are not good excuses, they are symptoms of a larger problem we face,” he added.

It was not immediately known where the fish vendors got their catch or from whom.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the world's main authority on the conservation status of species, says  thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) is now becoming" vulnerable" and decreasing in population.

“Besides being hunted for their meat, threshers are also hunted for their liver oil, skin (for leather), and their fins, for use in shark-fin soup.”

This was not the first time that a thresher shark was reported slaughtered for sale in Bohol. Sometime in 2012, a thresher shark was caught by a fisherman resident of Balicasag island, off Panglao town.

The fisherman admitted he caught the thresher shark and sold it, saying he didn’t know that the species should not be caught, based on the investigation by authorities.

The catch of the thresher shark was captured by a tourist video and uploaded on FB, generating condemnation. The probe did not impose on the fisherman responsible for the slaughter of the species, however.