19 October 2016 – The Philippine Embassy in Pretoria welcomed the Philippine delegation to the 17th Convention of Parties of the Conference on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) World Wildlife Conference held in Johannesburg from September 24 to October 05.
The Philippine delegation, led by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Ernesto D. Adobo Jr., was able to push for the inclusion of thresher sharks, silky sharks and mobula rays in Appendix II of the Convention.
This means that before these sharks and rays can be sold or used for commercial purposes, the stock’s sustainability must first be proven. Parties to the Convention are now required to provide protection to these marine species, and, in the Philippines, the inclusion of these species in Appendix II means automatic national protection, as stipulated in the Amended Philippines Fisheries Code of 2015.
The inclusion of thresher sharks in Appendix II is particularly significant as the Philippines is the only country in the world that has an established thresher shark diving industry in Malapascua, Cebu.
The thresher shark diving industry benefits many local communities over a sustained and indefinite period of time. In advocating for an eco-tourism industry, local communities in Cebu enjoy far more benefits in leaving these sharks in their natural habitat over the short-term benefits of catching them for their fins, which are considered a delicacy in neighboring countries. END
