Posted on 04/10/2009 2:03:06 PM PDT by nickcarraway
In just a short time, one of the rarest sharks in the world went from swimming in Philippine waters to simmering in coconut milk.
The 13-foot-long (4-meter-long) megamouth shark (pictured), caught on March 30 by mackerel fishers off the city of Donsol, was only the 41st megamouth shark ever found, according to WWF-Philippines.
Fishers brought the odd creaturewhich died during its captureto local project manager Elson Aca of WWF, an international conservation nonprofit.
Aca immediately identified it as a megamouth shark and encouraged the fishers not to eat it.
But the draw of the delicacy was too great: The 1,102-pound (500-kilogram) shark was butchered for a shark-meat dish called kinuout.
"While it is sad that this rare megamouth shark was ultimately lost, the discovery highlights the incredible biodiversity found in the Donsol area and the relatively good health of the ecosystem," Yokelee Lee, WWF-US program officer for the Coral Triangle, said in an email.
The Coral Triangle, which spans Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste (East Timor), is home to the richest concentration of marine lifeincluding iridescent coralsin the world, according to WWF.
"It is essential that we continue working with the government and local community on the sustainable management of Donsol's fisheries resources for the benefit of whale sharks, megamouth sharks, and the local community," Lee said.
The megamouth shark species, discovered in 1976 off Oahu, Hawaii, was so bizarre that scientists had to create a new family and genus to classify it. With its giant mouth but tiny teeth, megamouth, like the whale shark, is a filter feeder that preys on tiny animals and appears to be no danger to humans.
Only 40 megamouth sharks, including 7 in the Philippines, have been found since the initial discovery. The shark is so rare that the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the megamouth species as "data deficient."
(Related shark pictures: "Rare "Prehistoric" Shark Photographed Alive".)
Scientists who examined Megamouth 41the Philippine specimen's official name, bestowed by the Florida Museum of Natural Historybefore it was eaten found facial scars from past run-ins with gill nets. The shark's last meal was shrimp larvae.
Other shark species in Donsol are valued for conservation rather than consumption: The region hosts a successful ecotourism project that allows people to swim with whale sharks, according to WWF.
Christine Dell'Amore
Oops. I lied about the recipe. But maybe Freepers can post their best recipe for rare sharks and other rare creatures.
Lemon shark steak:
Simple. On grill with garlic butter.
YUMMMM
If it died during capture, why not eat it? Seems a shame to waste a perfectly good shark.
Do they really taste like lemon?
That would be a waste of perfectly good meat, wouldn’t it? Judging from their looks those fishermen could use the protein.
There a place for all of God’s creatures...right next to the mashed potatoes (or steamed rice).
Hákarl or kæstur hákarl (Icelandic for "fermented shark") is a food from Iceland. It is a Greenland or basking shark which has been cured with a particular fermentation process and hung to dry for 4-5 months. Hákarl has a very particular ammonia-rich smell and fishy taste, similar to Jewish deli whitefish or very strong cheese. It is an acquired taste and many Icelanders never eat it.
Hákarl is served as part of a Þorramatur, a selection of traditional Icelandic food served at Þorrablót in midwinter. Hákarl is, however, readily available in Icelandic stores all year round and is eaten in all seasons.
Hákarl up for drying in Iceland
Oddly enough, they actually taste like lemon chicken.
Thanks, I’ve never heard of that.
The megalodon (pronounced /ˡmɛ.gə.ləˌdɒn/ or MEG-a-la-don; meaning "big tooth" in Greek from μέγας and ὀδούς), Carcharodon megalodon or Carcharocles megalodon (in dispute), was a giant shark that lived in prehistoric times. The oldest remains of this species found are about 18 million years old[1]and C. megalodon became extinct in the Pleistocene epoch probably about 1.5 million years ago.[2] It was the apex predator of its time and is the largest carnivorous fish known to have existed.[1]
C. megalodon could grow to more than 18 metres (59 ft) long and is also quite possibly the largest shark ever to have lived. From scrutiny of its remains, scientists postulate that C. megalodon belongs to order Lamniformes. However, scientists are still debating that which genus would be most appropriate for C. megalodon, from the two proposed. Fossil evidence has revealed that megalodon fed upon large marine animals.[2]
Megalodon with the great white shark and a human for scale
Nooo, not like lemon. Don’t know why they were named that, but they taste like fish.
That is one food I don’t know that I could eat.
I saw a program on that and rotted shark meat? I mean it smells so bad the whole town stinks, and it’s food?
I don’t think so.
Fresh caught shark needs to be soaked for a day or two because
sharks do not urinate. Their urine is absorbed into their muscles and that’s why shark meat is full of uric acid. Be careful when ordering Swordfish because many times they will sell you Mako or Porbeagle shark. Sword fish has been badly over-fished and is hard to find.
The shark we had was one steak that took up nearly all the regular size round grill.
We all split it in a large group.
I would never eat that crap. I posted it as a joke because it sounded disgusting.
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