Photos, not tags, to identify Oslob whale sharks

NO physical tags but only photos will be taken of the whale sharks that swim in the waters off Oslob town in south Cebu, said Oslob Mayor Ronald Guaren yesterday.

Guaren told Cebu Daily News that copies of nine photos of  whale sharks were given to him by Elson Aca, a Filipino whale shark researcher who visited  Oslob  last year with the TV crew of GMA-7’s program “Born to Be Wild.”

He said the photos will help them and whale shark watchers in identifying the creatures passing through their waters. A tarpaulin banner will be displayed at the site, the mayor said.

The technical working group (TWG) formed by Gov. Gwen Garcia to draft guidelines on whale shark watching met last Thursday.

The proposed guidelines state that six to 20 watchers and four to 10 divers will be assigned to each shark. Guaren said this will accommodate the influx of hundreds of visitors  in the area.

A 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. schedule will be followed  to allow the whale sharks time to hunt for their own food.

He said he heeded a marine biologist’s call to limit  feeding  these sharks to prevent their domestication.

Priority numbers are given for  visitors. A total of  200 priority numbers will be given during  weekdays and a maximum of 500 on weekends.   Watchers will be  grouped in outfits of colors of yellow, blue and green to avoid overcrowding in the area.

One property owner in Oslob expressed plans of putting up more cottages for visitors and  tourists who come to watch the whale sharks.

Mayor Guaren said even nearby residents offer their homes for tourists who want a place to stay.

Souvenir items like T-shirts are also being sold.

“All people in the area are benefiting from the whale shark watching,” Guaren told Cebu Daily News. The TWG will finalize its guidelines next week. Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus