A 100-kilo tiger shark accidentally hooked during a traditional jigging competition in Caluya, Antique, was released alive back into the sea on Saturday, Oct. 3, in another remarkable encounter with the rich marine life surrounding the island municipality.
The shark, locally called ‘bagis,’ was caught at around 10:30 a.m. by Barangay Alegria Kagawad Lanie Mesullo while participating in the Oktoberfest 2026 Traditional Jigging Competition, according to licensed fisheries technologist and biodiversity researcher Flord Nicson Calawag.
Calawag identified the animal as a tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), one of the largest predatory shark species in the world.
Instead of bringing the shark ashore, Mesullo removed the hook and released the animal back into the waters of Caluya.
The unusual catch did not qualify for the competition, but its safe release highlighted the importance of returning non-target marine species to their natural habitat.
Mesullo is no stranger to exceptionally large catches. On Aug. 18, 2025, he also caught a giant grouper weighing about 150 kilos in Caluya waters, according to information provided by Calawag.
Tiger sharks are large, wide-ranging predators found in tropical and warm-temperate seas. The species is classified as near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.
The latest encounter also recalls a rare tiger shark stranding in Antique a decade ago.
On March 1, 2016, a pregnant tiger shark washed ashore in Barangay Ipil in Barbaza town and later died. Residents recovered 30 live pups from the mother and released them into the Cuyo East Passage, the body of water between Antique and Palawan. Calawag was among those who helped identify the shark at the time.
The Caluya catch also comes less than a month after other unusual marine wildlife encounters were documented in Antique. In September, a juvenile dugong was rescued in Caluya while an adult dugong was found dead in neighboring Sebaste, underscoring the diversity of marine species occurring in the province’s coastal waters.