The number of whale sharks in Bicol’s protected seascape is up to 69 since the start of the year after 19 new individuals were spotted in addition to 50 identified as returning, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines reported on Friday. The whale sharks, the largest living fish and known locally as butanding, are in the Ticao-Burias Pass Protected Seascape (TBPPS), a critical ecosystem that is monitored by the organization. It is a popular tourism site with the town of Donsol as jump-off point.

Whale shark count in Bicol up by 19. (2020, August 31). BusinessWorld, p. S1/12.