Philippines officially hosts world’s second largest known population of whale sharks
Philippines, March 3, 2019, The Philippines officially hosts the second largest known population of whale sharks in the world according to Wildbook for Whale Sharks, a global online population catalogue used by scientists and the public.
The Philippine population total, which now stands at >1,600 individual whale sharks, was reached through the submission of photo-identification data from dedicated work by LAMAVE, WWF-Philippines and avid and active members of the public. Previously, Australia was recognised as the second largest known population on the database, while Mexico remains the number one global hotspot, with more than 2,400 individual whale sharks identified in its waters. The Philippines’ progression to the number two spot, highlights the global significance of the archipelago for this endangered species, and emphasises the country as a conservation leader for the species in South East Asia.
A new study reveals the impacts of whale shark mass tourism on the coral reefs in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines.
Oslob, Cebu, Philippines, December 11, 2018 - The collaborative research among the University of Hong Kong (HKU), the University of Guam (UoG), and the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) shows that whale shark tourism in Tan-awan, Oslob, Philippines has led to degradation of the local coral reef ecosystem. This study, which provides the first documentation of such ecological impact locally in Tan-awan, has recently been published in the scientific journal “Environmental Management”, and provided baseline data to measure future tourism management intervention and the shift towards a more sustainable tourism model.
Donsol attracts the Philippines largest whale sharks
And hosts the largest known whale shark aggregation in Southeast Asia.
Donsol, Philippines, 7 August 2018. A new scientific study by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines and Large Marine Vertebrate Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) has revealed that whale sharks in Donsol, Philippines are uncharacteristically larger than those found elsewhere in the Philippines. The study, which describes the population dynamics and strong site fidelity of adult whale sharks to the coastal waters of Donsol, has been published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science and represents the longest dataset on whale sharks in the country.
THE GUILTY PLEASURE OF SWIMMING WITH HAND-FED WHALE SHARKS
Scientific study reveals tourist perspectives on the ethics of feeding whale sharks in Oslob, Philippines
1000th Whale Shark Identified in Philippine Waters
18 August 2016, the Philippines