First sighting of a leopard shark in Moalboal

JUVENILE LEOPARD SHARK FOUND DEAD

Our dive instructor Oscar found this morning a baby leopard shark at the fishermen area near Talisay Point.

Sadly the baby shark was found dead. Moalboal is a special marine protected area where sharks are protected.

Unfortunately this fact is not very well known. Since leopard sharks are bottom feeders, the baby shark was probably a bycatch from some fishermen. The shark will be turned over to the DENR ( Department of Environment and Natural Resources). 

Shark species found in Moalboal are white tip sharks, black tip sharks, thresher sharks and whale sharks. Until the end of the 1990s, hammerhead sharks were also seen every year in Moalboal, but they disappeared.

This is as far as we know the first leopard shark sighting in Moalboal. It’s too bad it happened under these circumstances.