November 8, 2013 is a day that will never be forgotten by the Filipinos. Super Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda, passed over the Philippines that day and proved to be the strongest typhoon to ever make landfall. Yolanda left thousands dead and millions homeless, changing lives forever. Since then, many of the affected people have been struggling to resume their lives and continue their livelihood. The support from the rest of the world has been enormous but even with all this help, it has been very hard for some to recover, especially in terms of livelihood.
One place that managed to recuperate relatively quickly is Malapascua, an idyllic island located just north of Cebu, where the eye of Yolanda passed. Miraculously, there were no casualties on the island but most houses and boats turned into rubble after this super typhoon passed. One of the main reasons that Malapascua has done well in recovering so swiftly is be found at about nine kilometres offshore, at a submerged seamount called Monad Shoal.
Monad Shoal is a unique; every morning, many divers descend into the deep blue waters surrounding this seamount, just to observe a special spectacle. At dawn, pelagic thresher sharks (Alopias pelagicus), locally known as Lawihan come up to the shallower parts (24-32 metres) of this seamount. Seeing these gracious sharks appearing from the deep is a cherished experience. In the early morning light from afar, they are no more than a faint silhouette with that distinctive tail whipping rhythmically from side to side. As they come closer, these silhouettes suddenly turn into one of the most elegant sharks in the ocean. None of the divers are afraid; sharks are nothing like the man-eating creatures some media portray them to be. They are in fact, not nearly as interested in us as we are in them, and we can count ourselves lucky if they do come near. These nocturnal oceanic sharks come here for one reason only - to get cleaned by cleaner fishes like the cleaner and moon wrasses (Labriodes dimidiatus and Thalassoma lunare) that inhabit the multiple cleaning stations found at Monad Shoal. Nowhere else in the world can you see thresher sharks on a daily basis and observe them up-close. In fact it is unique phenomenon that makes Malapascua famous.
Fortunately for Malapascua, the cleaning stations at Monad Shoal, and its thresher sharks were spared from the wrath of Yolanda. In matter of days after Yolanda, Malapascua had already received huge support from the local dive industry and previous tourists who fell in love with the island and their Lawihan. Local dive resorts and resorts from different islands all contributed food, money, building materials, boats, labour and more. Six months after the typhoon passed, almost everyone who had lost his or her home managed to rebuild and continue with their livelihood. Some locals even say they have better homes now then compared to before the typhoon. Tourists are still coming to see the pelagic thresher sharks and this is good for the island’s economy - about 80% the income on Malapascua is directly related to this dive industry. Some resort owners have even taken it further and started their own NGO. Rebuild Malapascua is one of them; they provide livelihood programs for the locals and are currently building a modern medical centre (something the island currently lacks). Another dive resort on the island even went as far as buying land to build 35 new homes for their employees; the houses were all built using funds collected from donations worldwide.
Many locals on Malapascua rely on divers visiting the island as some sort of livelihood, even most fishermen are happy with the dive industry since this allows them to sell fish directly to the resorts for a good price without having to leave the island. If it was up to Felimar Malagase, a local dive guide, these sharks would be protected nationwide as the income derived from tourism far outweighs the one-time sale of a thresher shark at a market. He insists that if there would be no thresher sharks around Malapascua, tourism would not be what it is today. Before there was any tourism, he had to rely on fishing as a livelihood; working as a dive guide is far more profitable and reliable. He also believes many of the donations given by people after the typhoon are directly related to the thresher sharks - a belief shared by many of the islanders. The people of Malapascua truly love Lawihan. The distinctive figure of the pelagic thresher shark can be found all over the island; from the numerous souvenir stalls to the basketball court, pictures of thresher sharks are everywhere. And why would anyone not love this shark that brings fortune to the island?
is not all good news though. In 2002, both Monad Shoal and Gato Island (another island known more for its reef sharks) were declared as a marine reserve by the local government of Daanbantayan. While this was a step in the right direction, it has not been able to stop illegal fishing. Both places still fall victim to destructive fishing methods like dynamite and long line fishing. The income derived from tourism and the associated marine park fees do not trickle down to all fishermen who use these places as their fishing grounds. Some fishermen have little choice but to continue to fish there. On top of that, thresher sharks are still directly targeted and caught as by-catch on a regular basis. In May 2014, pictures of thresher sharks being cut up on the beach in Talisay, Cebu, a place relatively near Malapascua, made the news. It is sad that these sharks are both adored and killed in the same province. Technically, within the province of Cebu, thresher sharks enjoy protection but in reality, this law is often not enforced. In other areas, like Donsol in the Bicol region, it is common to see thresher shark meat at the local market and in all sorts of dishes; their fins however, never make it to the market as they are sold for much higher prices right off the boat.
Essay & photographs by Steve De Neef ( see OG Issue 29)