Authorities are on the hunt for two men who allegedly tried to feed a whale shark illegally in the waters of Barangay Bool in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.

Authorities saw the fishermen during Joint Seaborne Patrol conducted by personnel of the Bohol Maritime and Tagbilaran City Police Station.

The patrolled the area after receiving information that there were people feeding the whale shark, called locally as ‘butanding.’

During patrol, authorities saw two men on board a motorized banca on the way to a yacht.

However, when the two saw the presence of authorities, they threw a sack into the water and sped away to shore.

Authorities checked the sack and inside it they saw approximately 10 kilos of shrimp paste that they suspect would have been used to feed the whale shark.

Feeding of whale sharks and other marine wildlife is prohibited under Bohol Provincial Ordinance No 2020-008.