CEBU CITY – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Central Visayas has told residents to refrain from disturbing juvenile blacktip reef sharks spotted in the coastal waters off Santander town in the southern tip of Cebu province.
Edgardo Delfin, BFAR-Cebu officer-in-charge, said people should not be scared because the presence of these sharks does not pose danger, especially to swimmers. “They do not bite not unless they are threatened or harmed,” he said, adding, the sharks also swim away once they sensed people in the surroundings.
Delfin described the occurrence in Santander as normal, explaining that juvenile sharks commonly show up over the months of February and March to feed in areas with small fishes. He said the sharks were found at a shallow portion of the municipal waters near the marine sanctuary in Barangay Pasil where any economic or fishing activities are prohibited.
He said marine sanctuaries, as one of its main purposes, are maintained to boost the fish population and biodiversity. Blacktip sharks are usually found at the shallow, coastal waters.
The presence of sharks, he said, might spark tourist attraction but disturbing them must be avoided. Catching or collecting sharks is also banned in Cebu by an existing provincial ordinance.
Delfin said the marine sanctuary is also guarded by the Bantay Dagat personnel of the municipality and the barangay.
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Blacktip reef sharks patrol their territories in coral lagoons and around the edges of reefs. They often swim in water shallow enough that their triangular, black-tipped top fin sticks out above the surface, presenting a classic image of sharks as portrayed in movies and cartoons.
But blacktips are not as menacing as they seem. They are curious about divers in their territory, but they are also wary and easily frightened.
These small sharks hunt the abundance of fishes that live on the reefs and try to steer clear of people. Blacktip sharks are often caught and wasted as bycatch from other fisheries. Like many other species of shark, blacktip populations are declining. (John Rey Saavedra. With additional reporting from the Cebu Examiner.)
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Edgardo Delfin, BFAR-Cebu officer-in-charge, said people should not be scared because the presence of these sharks does not pose danger, especially to swimmers. “They do not bite not unless they are threatened or harmed,” he said, adding, the sharks also swim away once they sensed people in the surroundings.
Delfin described the occurrence in Santander as normal, explaining that juvenile sharks commonly show up over the months of February and March to feed in areas with small fishes. He said the sharks were found at a shallow portion of the municipal waters near the marine sanctuary in Barangay Pasil where any economic or fishing activities are prohibited.
He said marine sanctuaries, as one of its main purposes, are maintained to boost the fish population and biodiversity. Blacktip sharks are usually found at the shallow, coastal waters.
The presence of sharks, he said, might spark tourist attraction but disturbing them must be avoided. Catching or collecting sharks is also banned in Cebu by an existing provincial ordinance.
Delfin said the marine sanctuary is also guarded by the Bantay Dagat personnel of the municipality and the barangay.
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Blacktip reef sharks patrol their territories in coral lagoons and around the edges of reefs. They often swim in water shallow enough that their triangular, black-tipped top fin sticks out above the surface, presenting a classic image of sharks as portrayed in movies and cartoons.
But blacktips are not as menacing as they seem. They are curious about divers in their territory, but they are also wary and easily frightened.
These small sharks hunt the abundance of fishes that live on the reefs and try to steer clear of people. Blacktip sharks are often caught and wasted as bycatch from other fisheries. Like many other species of shark, blacktip populations are declining. (John Rey Saavedra. With additional reporting from the Cebu Examiner.)
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