15-foot megamouth shark found dead in Albay

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay, Philippines–A dead 15-foot megamouth shark was found by fishermen beached along the shores of Barangay Marigondon in Pio Duran, Albay, Wednesday morning.

Nonie Enolva, head of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Regional Emergency Stranding Response Team (BFAR-RESRT), said in a phone interview, that the endangered species, which bore wounds and with its tail missing, was found at 6 a.m.

She said they have not determined the cause of death of the shark but believed it was either trapped in a fishing net or had eaten poisonous organisms.

“We are planning to display or preserve it at the Albay Park and Wildlife through taxidermy. If ever, this will be the third time we will have this process in the Philippines,” said Enolva.

Taxidermy is the process of removing all organs of the specimen, soaking its skin in formalin and stuffing it for museum display.

The megamouth shark is a rare deep-water shark with a wide open mouth that eats planktons and jellyfish, according to Enolva.

“This is edible but we discourage its eating by humans because it is deemed an endangered species,” said Enolva.

The species becomes poisonous because it can ingest metallic compounds that can be acquired by any person eating its meat, according to Enolva.