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DONSOL |
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DONSOL lies almost equidistant between Legaspi and Sorsogon and you
can get here by bus from either in a couple of hours. The area around
Donsol is best known for its whale sharks , known locally by a number of
names including butanding, balilan and kulwano. The whale shark, a timid
titan, is a fish, not a mammal, and can grow up to twenty metres in
length, making it the largest fish in the seas. Unlike other sharks,
they are not carnivorous and feed only on plankton, sucking it through
their gills via an enormous vacuum of a mouth. These gentle giants
gather here every year around the time of the northeastern monsoon (December
or January) to feed on the rich shrimp and plankton streams that flow
from the Donsol River into the sea.
The area around Donsol boasts one of the greatest concentrations of
whale sharks in the world and the government is trying to protect them
by fining fishermen who catch them. It's an uphill battle though,
largely because enforcement in a sparsely populated region like this is
difficult. Whale sharks were rarely hunted in the Philippines until the
1990s, when demand for their meat from countries such as Taiwan and
Japan escalated. Cooks have dubbed it the tofu shark because of the
meat's resemblance to tofu. Its fins are in great demand as a soup
extender. Tragically, this has led to its near extinction in the Visayas
and further south in Mindanao. For poor fishermen, money talks, and a
good whale shark can fetch enough to keep a rural family happy for many
months.
In Donsol, however, attitudes seem to be changing, with locals beginning
to realize that the whale sharks can be worth more alive than dead.
Tourists are also subject to new regulations, governing the viewing of
the sharks: the number of boats near a shark is limited and scuba gear
and flash photography are not allowed. Boats for shark-spotting can be
hired at the little pier in Donsol for P1000 for half a day, or you can
join other boats if space is available. Accommodation is limited to
Resty's Guesthouse ($5-10), opposite the pier.
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