Megamouth sharks (Megachasma pelagios) are one of the rarest fish species in which only 40 of them have been encountered around the world. Unwittingly, a unnamed fisherman from the Burias Islands, Philippines caught a megamouth shark on March 30 and he ate it like it was a local delicacy. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) dissuaded the fisherman after they saw the megamouth shark served in a platter. WWF took pictures of the shark and labeled it "Megamouth 41".
Megamouth sharks are just one of the three sharks that are filter feeders -- meaning they feed on particles that are suspended in water. This means that these megamouth sharks are harmless and it is quite sad that an uninformed fisherman had not realized the implication of eating a nearly extinct animal. Oh well, we hope Philippine authorities should protect these megamouth sharks because they are only found in California, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Ecuador, Senegal, South Africa, Mexico and Australia. (Source: AP News)
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