There’s bad news for the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), an iconic marine animal frequently spotted in Philippine waters and known locally as butanding. Now listed as “endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, this gentle giant has slipped one step closer to extinction, with the whale shark fisheries in southern China seen as a definite problem. As a migratory species, whale sharks swim into southern China, site of several active whale shark fisheries, “which can really affect the regional population (of this species),” said Dr. Simon Pierce of Marine Megafauna Foundation who is also a member of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group.

Honasan, A. B. (2016, July 17). It’s official: ‘Butanding’ an endangered species. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A14.