Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 24) — A beached great white shark was found dead on the shores of Aurora province, east of Luzon, Wednesday morning. The rare shark was spotted by tourists near midnight of January 23 in Barangay Lobbot in Dipaculao, Aurora. It measured 16.9-feet in length. No major wounds were observed on the shark, a report from BFAR said. It is still determining the cause of death. Dipaculao Mayor Joanna Salamanca has ordered the burial of the shark to avoid health issues. Authorities have also collected a tissue sample from it for examination. Nongovernment organization Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines said this is not the first record of the species in the Philippines. However, these are the first photos of the female great white shark spotted in the country. The great white shark is included in Appendix II of the international agreement Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which aims to ensure the survival of wild animals and plants are not threatened by global trade of their specimens. It is also listed as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The species is protected under Republic Act 8550 or the The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, which prohibits the fishing or taking of "rare, threatened, or endangered species" listed in CITES. Those caught violating the law face a penalty of 12 to 20 years imprisonment and/or a fine of P120,000, forfeiture of their catch, and the cancellation of their fishing permit. The species is also protected by RA 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, which mandates imprisonment of up to six years and/or a fine of up to P500,000 for the killing of endangered animals, and imprisonment of up to for years and/or a fine of up to P300,000 for vulnerable species. According to international organization World Wildlife Fund, great white sharks are often spotted in waters off waters California, Southern Chile, the Galápagos, and Coastal East Africa. They are the world's largest known predatory fish. http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2018/01/24/Great-white-shark-found-dead-in-Aurora.html
