Asian Diver – March 2018

Whilst the debate surrounding Oslob’s feeding of whale sharks
continues, studies have been conducted on how the tourist
attraction has been supporting the livelihoods of fishermen, and
perhaps that of the whale sharks too

Barangay Tan-awan, a small village
found in the municipality of Oslob,
Philippines, is home to the most-dived
whale shark site on the planet. Thanks
to the daily sighting of whale sharks
close to shore, Oslob Whale Sharks –
the official whale shark sighting
operator – became an overnight
success. Since 2011, Oslob has been
owned and run by a co-operative
of fishermen, the Tan-Awan and
Oslob Sea Wardens and Fisherman’s
Association (TOSWFA), in partnership
with the local government. TOSWFA
families own the land on which Oslob
runs, and all income earned from
ticket sales go directly to the fishermen
and the local government, who
channel income to protecting whale
sharks, marine conservation, and the
community. Interestingly, the incomes
earned by TOSWFA fishermen and their
community are significantly higher
than those of fishing communities from
best practice expatriate-owned dive
tourism in other parts of the world.

Feeding Fishermen

By: Judi Lowe

ABOVE: A fisherman feeds a

whale shark while snorkellers look on

IMAGE: Shutterstock

Whale sharks are listed as

Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, but

the fishermen of Tan-awan were never

fishers of whale sharks. Whale

sharks have been coming to the bay of

Tan-awn to feed on uyap (krill),

bumping the banca (traditional

outrigger canoes) of fishermen

and getting in the way of nets. The

fishermen would throw handfuls of

uyap to move them out of the way. It

is this presence that Oslob Whale

Sharks is built on.

There was, however, an active

fishery for whale sharks in the

Philippines until they were protected

by legislation in 1998. Whale sharks

were killed in neighbouring Pamilican

Island and Mindanao to the south.

For 20 years, they were largely

absent from Oslob waters from the

late 1990s. Sadly, there is an active

market for whale shark fins, which

are often propped up outside seafood

restaurants across Southeast Asia. The

Philippines is still a significant supplier

of whale shark fins to countries such

as Taiwan. Today, Bajau fishers from

Bohol continue to poach whale sharks

illegally in the Cebu Strait outside

Oslob. Whale sharks are also caught

as by-catch in trawl fisheries.

STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL

Fishing communities around the

Philippines rely on fish and coral reef

resources for the bulk of their family

protein and food security, often having

few or no livelihood alternatives. Men

fish with nets, fish traps and hook

and line, while women and children

work on reef flats at low tide looking

for shells, sea cucumbers, sea

urchins and other edible catch, which

supplements dwindling fishing catches

by their menfolk. This is why coral

reefs and fisheries cannot be managed

sustainably without first meeting the

basic needs of fishermen and the

communities who live along the shore.

In coral reef science literature,

we talk about dive tourism being an

important mechanism for creating

alternative livelihoods for fishermen,

or diversifying the livelihoods of

fishermen. Dive tourism typically