Author Topic: A very rare and unusual shark discovered. ... then eaten! (Read 5083 times)

gunsmith · « **on:** April 07, 2009, 05:58:50 PM »

I don't know why I find these stories hilarious.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/07/international/i043325D91.DTL

Rare megamouth shark caught, eaten in Philippines

By OLIVER TEVES, Associated Press Writer

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

(04-07) 14:52 PDT MANILA, Philippines (AP) --

Fishermen in the Philippines accidentally caught and later ate a megamouth shark, one of the rarest fishes in the world with only 40 others recorded to have been encountered, the World Wildlife Fund said Tuesday. The 1,100-pound, 13-foot megamouth died while struggling in the fishermen's net on March 30 off Burias island in the central Philippines. It was taken to nearby Donsol in Sorsogon province, where it was butchered and eaten, said Gregg Yan, spokesman for WWF-Philippines.

Yan said a WWF Donsol Project Manager Elson Aca took pictures of the megamouth and tried to dissuade the fishermen from eating it. Shark meat is the main ingredient in a local delicacy.

The first megamouth was discovered in Hawaii in 1976, prompting scientists to create an entirely new family and genus of sharks. The megamouths are docile filter-feeders with wide, blubbery mouths. Yan said the Burias megamouth's stomach revealed it was feeding on shrimp larvae.

Yan said the fish was tagged "Megamouth 41" — the 41st megamouth recorded in the world — by the Florida Museum of Natural History. It was the eighth reported encountered in Philippine seas.

He said the megamouth was caught in 660-foot deep waters, which are also frequented by the endangered whale shark, the world's largest fish and also a filter-feeder in the Donsol area, about 185 miles southeast of Manila.

Aca said the presence of two of the world's three filter-feeding sharks along with manta rays and dolphins indicates that the region's marine ecosystem was still relatively healthy and should continue to be protected.

Yan urged fishermen who encounter the rare shark to immediately report to authorities or the WWF.

Others megamouths have been encountered in California, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Ecuador, Senegal, South Africa, Mexico and Australia.

AZRedhawk44 · « **Reply #1 on:** April 07, 2009, 06:11:20 PM »

Quote

Aca said the presence of two of the world's three filter-feeding sharks along with manta rays and dolphins indicates that the region's marine ecosystem was still relatively healthy and should continue to be protected.

Yan urged fishermen who encounter the rare shark to immediately report to authorities or the WWF.

Hubris, anyone?

Yeah, you go ahead and tell the locals what to do with THEIR fish. "Authorities?" Hah! Who's got more authority WRT local wildlife and its consumption than the local top o' the food chain? "Protected?" Double-hah! So if they catch one to eat every 20-something years that's bad?

Busybody scientists.

Iain · « **Reply #2 on:** April 07, 2009, 06:27:45 PM »

Yeah, we definitely shouldn't ask people to report seeing a species that we have only recorded 41 encounters with. That would be interfering in their basic right to... well... something... damn meddling...

The article does not contain any condemnation, the creature died in the nets. I expect researchers would have paid for the carcass to have a gander at it. Wait that would be bad...meddling... food chain... something... rights inherent to all.

bedlamite · « **Reply #3 on:** April 07, 2009, 06:30:05 PM »

Yeah, but did it have lasers?

Declaration Day · « **Reply #4 on:** April 07, 2009, 06:30:43 PM »

Quote from: bedlamite on April 07, 2009, 06:30:05 PM

Yeah, but did it have lasers?

No, that would be ill-tempered sea bass.

Bigjake · « **Reply #5 on:** April 07, 2009, 06:42:06 PM »

Any story that brings angst to the wackos at WWF makes me smile. Thanks for the giggle.

Harold Tuttle · « **Reply #6 on:** April 07, 2009, 07:42:18 PM »

um, they have only found 41 cause they live deep and there is a ton of water out there

280plus · « **Reply #7 on:** April 07, 2009, 07:47:22 PM »

Mega-mouth, it's what's for dinner...

AZRedhawk44 · « **Reply #8 on:** April 07, 2009, 07:50:40 PM »

Quote from: Harold Tuttle on April 07, 2009, 07:42:18 PM

um, they have only found 41 cause they live deep and there is a ton of water out there

+1. Haven't found too many giant or colossal squid, either. Deep and cold and a long ways from people usually.

Hardly means they're going extinct.

Cromlech · « **Reply #9 on:** April 07, 2009, 08:01:32 PM »

I seem to recall a similar thread about a rare (or thought to be extinct) bird found and eaten in the Philippines.

gunsmith · « **Reply #10 on:** April 07, 2009, 08:05:13 PM »

yeah, I pretty sure I posted that one under "it taste like chicken"

gunsmith · « **Reply #11 on:** April 07, 2009, 08:06:31 PM »

Quote from: Cromlech on April 07, 2009, 08:01:32 PM

I seem to recall a similar thread about a rare (or thought to be extinct) bird found and eaten in the Philippines.

heh, http://www.armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=18133.0

Cromlech · « **Reply #12 on:** April 07, 2009, 08:06:56 PM »

Haha. I guess if a guy's hungry, then he's gotta eat!

Declaration Day · « **Reply #13 on:** April 07, 2009, 08:10:31 PM »

I think it's probable that the fishermen were more concerned with eating, and possibly feeding their families, than scientific research. If they are poor, I can't say I blame them.

The original article mentions shark meat being used as a delicacy, (implying that the fishermen may have sold it for a handsome profit), but it doesn't state that they sold it.

Bigjake · « **Reply #14 on:** April 07, 2009, 08:49:21 PM »

The only way this could be funnier is if the natives went and sold it to some high end Japanese whale-meat purveyor...

MicroBalrog · « **Reply #15 on:** April 07, 2009, 09:11:04 PM »

Question for those who know:

Is whale meat considered a delicacy in Japan, or a sort of mass-produced food?

Regolith · « **Reply #16 on:** April 07, 2009, 11:09:01 PM »

Quote from: MicroBalrog on April 07, 2009, 09:11:04 PM

Question for those who know:

Is whale meat considered a delicacy in Japan, or a sort of mass-produced food?

My guess is delicacy. I don't think they catch enough of it to mass-produce food out of it.

Headless Thompson Gunner · « **Reply #17 on:** April 07, 2009, 11:32:15 PM »

nevermind

MechAg94 · « **Reply #18 on:** April 08, 2009, 07:30:19 AM »

So the article said the WWF guy tried to persuade them not to eat it. Did he try to buy it off of them?

On the other hand, why do we care that a washed up wrestler saw a rare fish get eaten? :)

ilbob · « **Reply #19 on:** April 08, 2009, 09:13:03 AM »

Quote from: Harold Tuttle on April 07, 2009, 07:42:18 PM

um, they have only found 41 cause they live deep and there is a ton of water out there

thats my guess, especially since they have been found all over the place. lots of places out in the ocean for a fish to hide.

guns and more · « **Reply #20 on:** April 08, 2009, 11:12:39 AM »

How did the world survive before we had the World Wildlife Fund to tell us how to live?

Werewolf · « **Reply #21 on:** April 08, 2009, 05:29:32 PM »

Ever been to the Phillipines?

For a lot of the folk there their main job is acquiring food to eat for the current day.

Tossing 1200 pounds of perfectly good shark (and shark is very, very tasty) out just so some weenie scientist can take a gander at it would probably be a rather laughable proposition to your everday Jose Sixpack fisherman in the Phillipines.

MechAg94 · « **Reply #22 on:** April 08, 2009, 07:36:43 PM »

Quote from: Werewolf on April 08, 2009, 05:29:32 PM

Ever been to the Phillipines?

For a lot of the folk there their main job is acquiring food to eat for the current day.

Tossing 1200 pounds of perfectly good shark (and shark is very, very tasty) out just so some weenie scientist can take a gander at it would probably be a rather laughable proposition to your everday Jose Sixpack fisherman in the Phillipines.

But would they sell it? Did the guy offer to buy it or was he just trying to talk them into giving up the food?

280plus · « **Reply #23 on:** April 08, 2009, 08:47:46 PM »

Given the extreme lack of funding for just about any kind of research my opinion is no, he never offered to pay them anything as he probably had nothing to pay with.

The archeological society I work for (which actually assists the state of CT) needs donations in order to have things like radio carbon dating done. No donations, no carbon dating, we don't care how important a site you have discovered.

gunsmith · « **Reply #24 on:** April 08, 2009, 09:06:59 PM »

but the important question here is, what does an archeological taste like?

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Author Topic: A very rare and unusual shark discovered. ... then eaten! (Read 5083 times)