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DONSOL lies almost equidistant between Legaspi and Sorsogon and you can get here by bus from either in a couple of hours. The area around Donsol is best known for its whale sharks , known locally by a number of names including butanding, balilan and kulwano. The whale shark, a timid titan, is a fish, not a mammal, and can grow up to twenty metres in length, making it the largest fish in the seas. Unlike other sharks, they are not carnivorous and feed only on plankton, sucking it through their gills via an enormous vacuum of a mouth. These gentle giants gather here every year around the time of the northeastern monsoon (December or January) to feed on the rich shrimp and plankton streams that flow from the Donsol River into the sea. The area around Donsol boasts one of the greatest concentrations of whale sharks in the world and the government is trying to protect them by fining fishermen who catch them. It's an uphill battle though, largely because enforcement in a sparsely populated region like this is difficult. Whale sharks were rarely hunted in the Philippines until the 1990s, when demand for their meat from countries such as Taiwan and Japan escalated. Cooks have dubbed it the tofu shark because of the meat's resemblance to tofu. Its fins are in great demand as a soup extender. Tragically, this has led to its near extinction in the Visayas and further south in Mindanao. For poor fishermen, money talks, and a good whale shark can fetch enough to keep a rural family happy for many months. In Donsol, however, attitudes seem to be changing, with locals beginning to realize that the whale sharks can be worth more alive than dead. Tourists are also subject to new regulations, governing the viewing of the sharks: the number of boats near a shark is limited and scuba gear and flash photography are not allowed. Boats for shark-spotting can be hired at the little pier in Donsol for P1000 for half a day, or you can join other boats if space is available. Accommodation is limited to Resty's Guesthouse ($5-10), opposite the pier.
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