FEATURE STORY: Money from whale sharks

Since the opening of its whale shark watching resort, Oslob town has been raking in millions. But in return, what has it given to the main attraction - the whale sharks?

According to town mayor Ronaldo Guarin, a huge chunk of the P500,000 they earn from the resort per month goes to basic social services for the people while a portion is allocated for the training of the boatmen, who also act as guides, so they will know how to protect the whale sharks, locally known as tuki. Guarin said his administration has also proposed to build a briefing center in the area. He said it is vital that guests are briefed before they jump into the water to avoid hurting the whale sharks and themselves, as well.

This fledgling tourist destination is at the coastal area of Barangay Tan-awan, about 10 minutes by private car from the town hall. In the middle of a vacant lot fronting the sea where guests are brought to see the whale sharks, the town has put up a makeshift tent used as a temporary briefing center. Here guests, locals and foreign nationals, shortly after paying the necessary fees, have to do the mandatory stopover to listen to a local guy as he reads the “Whale Sharks Interaction Guidelines.” According to these guidelines, guests should not: 1) touch the whale sharks as they could “react violently or swim away,” 2) throw their trash into the water, as they may mistake it for food; 3) feed the animals, and 4) use cameras with flash. Only six people are allowed to view a particular whale shark and should be at least four meters away from the sea creatures.

Marine buoys are used to cordon off at least a hectare of seawater where guides can bring the guests to watch the whale sharks. Guests can also swim with these gentle giants for a higher fee. To ensure that these sea animals stay in the area, Bantay Dagat personnel called “feeders”, aboard small boats, feed the animals with krill (tiny shrimp). Teodoro Friolo, a member of the Tan-awan Oslob Sea Warden and Fishermen Association (TOSWFA), said at least 80 kilos of krill is fed to the whale sharks every day. Friolo said krill is fed to the whale sharks to keep them closer to the surface of the water, for better guest “interaction”.

Environmentalists, however, are against the feeding of these sea animals.

Vince Cinches of Greenpeace Philippines explained that whale sharks should not be fed, since doing so will “alter their behavior and their social community.” Cinches, whose group is advocating the preservation of fishes, whale sharks included, all over the country, said they are not against the government's goal to increase its income. However, the government must also think of the welfare of these animals. He said there is nothing wrong with bringing in guests to see these giant fishes, as long as stricter rules are imposed and the feeding is stopped.

“Pwede ra na sila tan-awon. But we should let them (sharks) behave continually, we should not intervene. Naa sila'y strikto nga policy nga dili pwede mogamit og sunscreen, but what we are doing is not actually helping them,” Cinches said. He said the feeding activity is making the sharks dependent on humans, which is taking away their natural routine to hunt for their food. Feeding, he said, has also exposed them to danger like what happened last year to “Fermin,” one of the whale sharks in Oslob, who sustained cuts in his mouth and fins after getting hit by a propeller from a boat he believed had food for him.

“The interaction is not correct, it is not sustainable. It should not be encouraged,” Cinches said.

The Freeman visited the site last week. After paying the necessary fees, this writer and photographer Ferdinand Edralin boarded a paddle boat and sailed to where the other boats were, about 300 meters from the shoreline. At that time, at least six whale sharks were in the area, one of who was “Lavender,” a five-meter giant. That morning, three boats surrounded Lavender, one was carrying a Bantay Dagat personnel/feeder while the other two had tourists. For the next 30 minutes, the whole duration of the tour, Lavender stationed herself near the feeder's boat, her mouth almost touching the side of the banca and the hand of the feeder as she tried to catch the krill. The rest of her body slanted towards the seabed while guests nearby marveled at her.

Cinches said whale sharks eat planktons and fish eggs, and these are normally in the bottom part of the sea. From the surface to the sea bed, it is estimated to be at least 20 feet, and factors like water movement and suspended particles could affect visibility; hence, watching the sharks from above while they are underwater as they hunt for food may not be a good tourism come-on. So, Friolo said krill has to be thrown to the sharks so they stay on the surface.

To make sure the whale sharks stay in the area and area available to the guests, usually 200 to 300 per day (the number doubles on weekends) from 5:50 am to 12:30 pm, there are stand-by feeders at the corners of the cordoned area, or about 10 meters from the center where most of the guests are. Each of these corner feeders has at least one shark in his care, so that when the sharks currently in the center of attraction would decide to leave, the corner feeders immediately stop feeding their sharks so the latter would move to the other feeders, at the center. A guide said the strategy has worked for the last two years.

Meanwhile, for several minutes Lavender just opened mouth, which showed some cuts on the upper portion, near the hand of her feeder to catch the krill, while guests swam near her. From time to time, the feeder and the guides would shoo away a guest or two if they get near animal. A Bantay Dagat personnel said at least 10 individuals last year and four just last February were penalized for touching the whale shark. Under the same ordinance regulating this attraction, it is illegal to touch the sharks; a violator can be fined P2,500 or four to six months imprisonment. 

There were at least six Bantay Dagat personnel during our visit, each strictly implementing the no-touching rule. But as more sharks swam to the surface for their share of krill, the animals bumped their fins into the outriggers of the boats. Most of the sharks' fins already had cuts.

Cinches, whose group is currently monitoring the whale shark activities in Donsol, said it is not true that the whale sharks will not come back once feeding is stopped. These animals, he said, will return to an area as long as they were not hurt during their previous visits. Also, Cinches said that if these gentle giants have been coming to Tan-awan for a long time, then it must be part of their "foraging migration path." Local fishers said the whale sharks were first seen in the waters of Oslob some 20 or so years ago.

During our visit, there was a marine biologist in the area. A guide said they have a number of them there, working on shifts and these personnel are working for a non-government organization.

Cinches said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other concerned agencies should take an active role in "addressing this problem." The local government, instead of cashing in by "exploiting" the whale sharks, should also do its share, he added. The TOSWFA members/guides, some personnel from the local tourism office and marine biologists are present in the area. There is no one from the DENR.

"Around the world, wala pa gani na-establish ang baseline data on these animals kung connected ba sila sa Donsol, and here they are, acting as if they know these species. It is important that instead of exploiting the whale sharks, the LGU should first check their general science," he said.

Oslob's top-grossing tourist destination was officially opened in 2011. But way before that, local fishermen were already earning from sharks. Friolo, however, said their earnings before were smaller compared to what they earn now as fees at that time would only depend on how much the guest will give. He added that at that time, there were three factions of fishermen in the area and the operation was chaotic because of the competing factions.

Before the municipal government came in, Friolo said fishermen like him would earn P200 from each guest, or more if he/she is satisfied. In late 2011, the local government approved an ordinance that provided management for the area. The ordinance also laid out standard fees: P300 for whale-watching for Filipino guests (P500 for foreigners), and P500 for snorkelers (P1,000 for foreigners). The amount is already inclusive of a boat, guides and snorkeling gear (for the P500 entrance fee). Diving fee is P1,500 and rental for dive gear is at P1,500. The three fishermen's groups in the area were formed into one federation, the TOSWFA, which gets 60 percent of the total income (30% of the total income goes to the town, and the rest to Barangay Tan-awan).

Friolo said his life has changed since tourists started coming in to see the sharks. He said he earns P150 or more each day, a far cry from what he got from merely fishing before. The money he gets from the whale shark watching has more than fed his family, he said.

The local government is also enjoying the benefits of the tourist attraction. Guarin said the money they earned from it has already built them a college, the Cebu Technological University and provided basic services to the people, apart from giving livelihood to the local fishers. At least 160 members of TOSWFA have benefited from this incentive, all of them used to earn from fishing alone.

"Ni-boom ang tourism, ni-generate og income sa LGU. Tungod sa income nakahatag ta og basic social services. School buildings, additional teachers.  Dako kaayong natabang," the mayor said. The whale shark watching has also paved the way for more tourism developments in Oslob and has also helped the beach resort owners and the neighboring barangays who now earn from selling souvenir items and food at the area.

The mayor is however, not happy with the environmentalists and their "baseless claim," which could "hurt" the town. Stopping the whale shark watching activities would surely hurt their economy and their people, said Guarin. Minus the whale shark business, Oslob's income was only P3 million per year and the local government was dependent on the financial assistance from the provincial government. "Dako kaayo siya'g natabang. Mao nga usahay, kuyawan ko nga banggaon ni nila (environmentalists)," he said. Guarin added this fear has also made him and some investors wary in putting up additional investments in the area. "They have no accurate basis to their claims. Kung makadaut pa, nana unta'y mga negative effects, nangamatay na unta na sila," he said.

But Cinches said that while his organization understands the economic opportunity that the whale sharks have brought to the town and its people, the local government has the responsibility to see the whole situation in a bigger perspective. 

"What if mawagtang na sila? Ana na sila ka-vulnerable if they go out of Oslob. Plus the feeding - this is increasing their vulnerability. The whale sharks may not be endangered for the moment, but as it appears, they are threatened," Cinches said. "While the rest of the world is talking about how to help this vulnerable species, I think we should do our contribution by doing what is correct for our whale sharks," he added. -/QSB