（為「2002國際鯊魚研討會」於台灣召開而寫）
鯨鯊是世界上最大的魚類，體長可以長到18公尺以上，因肉質白而細嫩如豆腐，俗稱「豆腐鯊」，又因個性溫馴、行動遲緩，也稱「大憨鯊」。全世界，幾乎沒有其他國家地區吃鯨鯊，美國、澳洲、菲律賓、馬爾地夫等國家都已將其列入保育動物，而台灣卻是全球唯一吃鯨鯊的國家，甚至遠赴菲律賓非法捕捉或走私進口。
魚翅需求，是另一個造成鯨鯊危機的主要原因！在香港和臺灣所做的調查顯示，許多消費者都不知道魚翅是由過度漁業活動、非法捕捉，及只切除鯊魚鰭而得來的。有些國家的漁船（包括台灣遠洋漁船）在鯊魚捕捉上船後，因為船艙要預留給較高價位的魚類存放，於是只好－－留下魚鰭，然後把魚身丟回大海。許多失去魚鰭的鯊魚，沉沒海中後躺在海底扭動著，等待血液流盡而死亡，或者掙扎數天之久才餓死。
在全球捕撈及食用鯊魚的地區中，由於華人社會對魚翅的特別偏愛，已成為保育團體重點關注的對象。臺灣不僅是主要的國際魚翅貿易國，它也是重要的捕捉鯊魚國之一。據台灣魚翅業者表示，近年來市面上的魚翅體積越來越小，應與過度濫捕鯊魚使得鯊魚無法正常成長有關。根據海洋大學陳哲聰教授統計，台灣前幾年還可以一年捉到三百隻以上豆腐鯊，由於濫捕，現在一年捉不到一百隻，而且體長也越來越小。
鯨鯊成熟時約為二十到三十歲，體長在九公尺以上，但成功港（台灣捕獲鯨鯊量最大的漁港）捕獲的鯨鯊從四年前每尾平均近六公尺減為四公尺多，體重也由平均每尾一千五百多公斤降為六百四十多公斤，許多都是未成年的個體，牠們還來不及長大，就祭了台灣人的五臟廟。
雖然為了因應國際社會對鯨鯊保護管理呼聲日漸高漲，漁業署繼去年四月底實施鯨鯊漁獲通報制度後（迄今全省已捕獲八十二尾），最近又委託海洋大學實施鯨鯊標識放流工作。並且研擬鯨鯊保育階段性計畫，第一階段將自今年七月起限制鯨鯊撈捕量，初步以每年八十尾為限捕量。然而，台灣過去三年來每年平均捕獲的鯨鯊數量也約八十尾，因此八十尾的限捕量意義實在不大。
在華盛頓公約會議中，有人提議將鯨鯊和其他兩類鯊魚列入保育名單，雖未形成共識，但華盛頓公約組織仍積極要求各國進行鯨鯊相關研究，以訂出合理的利用管理方式。而過往漁獵鯨鯊，亦是台灣消費進口國的菲律賓、印度也迅速回應國際保育呼聲，公告禁止鯨鯊的捕捉與貿易。在此狀況下，至今僅做到捕獲通報的台灣，實在顯得野蠻和小器。
其實，台灣學者喊鯨鯊保育已經十年了，但是從未獲政府重視。政府之所以遲遲不敢對捕鯨鯊的行為加以限制，主要是怕重蹈當年禁捕海豚的覆轍，引起漁民們集體抗議。但是，鯨鯊資源之保育及管理已是世界的潮流趨勢，而台灣又是鯨鯊的最大利用國，因此政府加緊對於鯨鯊保育，責無旁貸！
其實，鯊魚極具觀光價值－－一尾活鯊魚的價值遠超過一尾死鯊魚。以鯨鯊為例，台灣的盤中飧，到了西澳海岸卻是與人和樂共存、每年至少帶來兩億生態旅遊收益的主角。希望哪天這些體型龐然的「溫柔的巨人」來到台灣海域時，等待牠的，是一雙雙願意陪他同游共潛的溫柔眼神，而非餐桌前手持刀叉的貪婪目光！
﹝原刊於5月16日自由時報「自由廣場」﹞
Let whale sharks swim without fear
By Sakya Chuan-fa 釋傳法
`There is already an international trend toward the protection and management of whale sharks and Taiwan is the biggest consumer of the fish. There is therefore no reason why the government should not tighten measures to protect it.'
The whale shark is the world's largest fish. It has been known to grow to over 18m in length. Because its meat is as white and tender as tofu, it is often called the "tofu shark," and because it is gentle and moves slowly, it is also called "the great naive shark." Almost nowhere, except Taiwan, is the shark eaten by humans. The US, Australia, the Philippines and the Maldives list it as an endangered species. Taiwanese, on the other hand, go as far as the Philippines to catch it illegally and smuggle it into the country.
The demand for shark's fin is another major threat to the species. Surveys conducted in Hong Kong and Taiwan show that many consumers are unaware that the fin is obtained by means of exces-sive and illegal fishing practices that include simply cutting off the fins of living sharks and then throwing them back into the sea so that storage space can be used for more valuable fish. Many of these finless sharks sink to the seabed where they either bleed to death or struggle on for a few days before starving to death.
Of all the areas in the world where the whale shark is caught and eaten, animal protection organizations are focusing their attention mainly on areas with an ethnic-Chinese population due to the Chinese appetite for shark's fin. Not only is Taiwan the main international trader of shark's fin, it is also one of the main nations that fishes for whale sharks.
According to the nation's whale-shark traders, the size of shark fins on the market has become ever smaller in recent years. This is probably related to overfishing of the whale shark, making it impossible for these sharks to grow naturally. According to statistics provided by Professor Chen Che-tsung (陳哲聰) at National Taiwan Ocean University, Taiwan could still catch over 300 tofu sharks annually a few years ago, but due to overfishing, less than 100 sharks are now caught a year and they are also getting smaller.
When whale sharks are fully grown, after about 25 to 30 years, they measure more than nine meters in length. The average length of those received at Cheng-kung Harbor (the port receiving the most whale sharks in Taiwan) has decreased from almost six meters four years ago to just over four meters, and the average weight has dropped from over 1,500kg to a little over 640kg. They are filling Taiwanese stomachs, then, before they have a chance to become fully grown.
The Fisheries Administration is continuing to implement the whale shark fishing report system introduced in April last year in response to calls from the international community for protection management. It has also entrusted National Taiwan Ocean University with the task of marking whale sharks and asked the university to create a multiple-stage plan to protect the species. The first stage of this plan will begin in July, initially restricting the annual catch to 80 fish. In fact Taiwan's annual catch for the last three years has been approximately 80, so restricting it to that figure serves little purpose.
At the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endan-gered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), some suggested that the whale shark and two other kinds of sharks should be included on the endangered species list. Even though no consensus has been reached, CITES has asked nations to carry out research on the whale shark in order to establish appropriate methods of protection management.
The Philippines and India, which used to catch whale sharks for export to Taiwan, quickly responded to the calls for protection by declaring a ban on the fishing and trading of the shark. By doing nothing more than introducing a system for reporting on fishing activities, Taiwan appears uncivilized and narrow-minded in comparison.
Scholars in Taiwan have been calling for protection of the whale shark for a decade without any response from the government. The main reason Taipei hesitates to clamp down on whale shark fishing is that it is afraid of a repeat of the mass protests by fishermen when dolphin fishing was banned.
There is already an international trend toward the protection and management of whale sharks and Taiwan is the biggest consumer of the fish. Therefore, there is no reason why the government should not tighten measures to protect it.
In fact the whale shark has a potentially great value for tourism, and the value of a live shark far exceeds that of a dead one. While the whale shark is treated as a meal in Taiwan, it lives in harmony with man in the seas off the coast of Western Australia, generating at least NT$200 million from eco-tourism a year. I hope that one day when these great, friendly sharks swim in the seas off Taiwan, people will want to swim and dive with them instead eat them.
－－原刊於Taipei Times, May 25, 2002,Page 8