Residents worked together to rescue a 22-foot whale shark (butanding) that got tangled in a fishing net near the shore of Barangay Maniboc, Lingayen.
The massive marine creature was spotted around 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 6, 2025.
According to Jerome Mayo Solis, who captured the incident on video, the whale shark swam accidentally into a fishing net.
Around 20 residents and two boats helped pull the gentle giant.
Solis said it took 30 minutes before the whale shark was returned to deeper waters.
Dr. Westly Rosario, a fishery expert, said the presence of whale sharks near the shore indicates an abundant food supply in the area.
“[Ito'y] tanda na maraming pagkain na available. Nandiyan ‘yung maliit na hipon, so hinahabol nila ‘yun kaya sila napapalapit sa atin,” Rosario said.
