Why you should save thresher sharks

DESPITE classifying a certain animal as an endangered specie, illegal trades continue to be rampant, further harming the said specie.

The thresher shark is one of them.

Because of their fins, fishing for thresher sharks has been very frequent in most parts of the planet.

One of the only places where the said sharks are considered "sacred" is the Monad Shoal in Cebu, where the residents of the nearby Malapascua Island have been continuously doing efforts in conserving them, eventually turning the spot into a diving haven.

However, that's just one side of the story.

The road to bringing back thresher sharks to life is long, but a new proposal will help in further saving the sharks.

The said proposal will regulate the fishing for the thresher sharks, and WE want you to support it.

I have been an advocate of saving the endangered species, and I believe the yes vote to this proposal, which will be presented at the Conference of Parties next week, is beneficial for our Cebuano friends.

Why? Aside from environmental factors, the Monad Shoal is responsible for 80 percent of the Malapascua Island residents' source of income, and for a group of people who have quickly moved on from the wrath of Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, your yes vote will further motivate them in conserving the sharks.

Meanwhile, a no vote could mean opening the doors of Malapascua to unsustainable thresher shark fishing, further sending the sharks close to extinction.

We should send a strong message to the Philippine delegation to the COP that we want thresher shark fishing regulated.

For now, here are some tips to help save the sharks.

Join me as we bat for further saving the thresher sharks. Make your yes votes count here.