Cryptomundo » First Ever Luzon Megamouth Caught

First Ever Luzon Megamouth Caught

Posted by: Loren Coleman on April 7th, 2009

The World Wildlife Fund-Philippines has released the following press announcement:

Rare Megamouth Shark Caught Near Donsol

Only 41st Worldwide and First in Luzon

So rare are these sharks that each of them is designated with a number.

Fishermen based in Donsol were trawling for mackerel along the eastern coast of Burias Isle on the morning of 30 March when they caught a strange-looking shark from a depth of approximately 200 meters. WWF’s satellite tagging initiatives have already shown that pelagic filter feeders such as whale sharks and manta rays regularly prowl through the region. It was only a matter of time before something else was discovered.

The shark was brought to Barangay Dancalan in Donsol, Sorsogon for assessment. WWF Donsol Project Manager Elson Aca immediately arrived to assess the haul – and promptly identified it as a megamouth shark.

Rarest of all sharks, the megamouth (Megachasma pelagios) is a fairly recent scientific discovery, with just over 40 recorded encounters worldwide. The first specimen was caught off Oahu, Hawaii in 1976. So different was it from all other sharks that it necessitated the creation of an entirely new family and genus – prompting the scientific community to hail it as the 20th century’s most significant marine find – rivalling the rediscovery of the coelacanth in 1938.

Megamouth 41, as named by the Florida Museum of Natural History, measured four meters and weighed an estimated 500 kilograms. Facial scars indicated a protracted struggle with the fishers’ gill-nets while stomach contents revealed it was feeding on shrimp larvae.

The megamouth shark is so named for its enormous maw – almost a meter wide and lined with a brilliant silver band to attract planktonic prey in the depths. It is a poor swimmer which ranges sporadically throughout the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Males average four meters while females – which give birth to live young – grow to five.

Relatively little was known of their habits until megamouth 6 was fitted with a pair of ultrasonic transmitters and tracked for two days in 1990. The exercise indicated that the sharks spend the daytime in waters up to a kilometre deep and surface only at night to feed on plankton, small fish and jellyfish – usually at a depth of around 15 meters.

Together with the basking and whale shark, the megamouth is one of only three filter-feeding shark species. It is classified globally by the IUCN as data deficient – but only because so few have ever been studied.

Eight megamouth sharks, a full fifth of all recorded encounters, have now been caught in Philippine waters. Four were caught in Cagayan de Oro and one each in Negros, Iloilo and Cebu. Megamouth 41 was the very first to have been caught in Luzon.

Against Aca’s counsel, the Masbate megamouth was butchered – kinunot (shark sautéed in coconut milk) being a local delicacy of the Bicol Region. Fishermen say a similar shark was caught and eaten in the same area about three decades back. Fisheries Administrative Order 208 provides that after documentation, the carcass of all endangered marine animals should promptly be buried. WWF now remains on the lookout for further megamouth sharks.

For over a decade, WWF has worked closely with the municipality of Donsol to establish and refine the now-famous community-based whale shark eco-tourism project, transforming the once sleepy town into one of the Bicol region’s busiest revenue generators and earning it the title of butanding capital of the world. Current initiatives funded by WWF-Denmark and supported by the local government are led by Aca to establish whale shark migration routes and numbers through state-of-the-art photo-identification and satellite tagging techniques. Just last month WWF found and rescued a 15-inch baby whale shark – the world’s smallest.

“The presence of two of the world’s three filter feeding sharks warrants special attention for the Donsol-Masbate region,” explains Aca. “Whale and megamouth sharks, manta rays, dolphins and other charismatic giants indicate that the region’s ecosystem is still relatively healthy. By protecting megafauna, we help maintain the dynamic balance of our seas, and ensure the entire ecosystem’s resilience and natural productivity.”

Credit: WWF-Philippines works with a host of partners to protect the megafauna of the Coral Triangle.

I’m not looking to go to the Philippines but merely keeping this kind of news coming to you and saving the museum/research. Your kind assistance, on this Tuesday, April 7th, is urgently needed. Even $15 would do a lot, for from ten people, that adds up quickly. Of course, three people sending in $50 would be great too. Thank you.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 at 3:52 pm and is filed under Breaking News, Classic Animals of Discovery, CryptoZoo News, Cryptotourism, Megafauna, New Species. You can follow responses via our RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is not allowed.

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4 Responses to “First Ever Luzon Megamouth Caught”

cryptidsrus responds: April 7th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Great story, Loren!!!

Hopefully, more megamouths will be seen in the area!

Gives one hope about the survival of some species on Earth.
Richard888 responds: April 7th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
I find it strange that this shark was discovered in 1976 and since then 41 specimens have been caught or more than one shark per year. It is kind of like finding an one hundred dollar bill on the road for the first time and then each month finding an additional one hundred dollar bill.
aclockworkorange responds: April 8th, 2009 at 12:19 am
Cool article. I remember when I was a kid and these things had been recently discovered they were incredibly popular. I even had a fruit snack that featured them with other sharks (always fun to eat big scary things that could eat you).
funky pixie responds: April 8th, 2009 at 3:57 am
That is one very cool animal.

I, for one, am glad that the islanders ate it rather than simply burying the remains. In an ideal world it would be alive and swimming unharmed, but once it is dead it should be used as completely as possible.

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First Ever Luzon Megamouth Caught

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