In 1998, the year after word of sharks got out, just 900 tourists visited Donsol, a placid little town in the Philippines. Last year saw 7,600 visitors - a third of them foreigners. Government-run visitor centers collect boat rental and guide fees and arrange daylong expeditions. Villagers rented snorkels and rubber fins and peddle souvenirs. Thanks to the new tourism, the sharks have created about 1,000 seasonal jobs in Donsol.

一九九八年，鯊魚出沒的消息公開後，到菲律賓平靜的丹索小鎮參訪的觀光客只有九百人，去年有七千六百位訪客（三分之一是外國人）。政府經營的訪客中心，安排一日探險，收取小艇租金和導遊費用。村民出租潛水用呼吸管和橡膠蛙鞋，叫賣紀念品。由於這新興的觀光業，鯊魚在丹索鎮開創了大約一千個季節性的工作。

Donsol, a poor farming and fishing town of about 40,000 people once said to have been a communist rebel stronghold. A construction boom fosters a new sense of hope. On what used to be a barren beach stand five small inns. But their 50 rooms are inadequate for the hundreds of tourists
who flock in the peak months of March and April, prompting plans for construction of a hotel, along with a concrete road. There is talk of a small airport.  

丹索鎮是約有四萬人，貧窮的農漁業市鎮，據說曾經是共產黨叛軍的根據地。營建景氣助長了新希望，以往貧瘠的海濱，有五間小客棧，但在三、四月旺季，湧入數百位觀光客，五十個房間仍不敷使用，因而促使計畫興建旅館與水泥路，以及傳聞的一座小機場。

Donsol is wary about damaging the pristine conditions that lure the sharks. Projects like a pier have been junked. Only 25 dive boats – down from nearly 50 – are allowed at seat at one time, the mayor said. The town is also waging war against poachers, helped by the World Wildlife Fund. Poachers hunt the sharks for lucrative Asian markets like Taiwan,
where there is a strong demand for pricey shark fin's soup. 

市長說，丹索鎮唯恐破壞引誘鯊魚的清新原始生態，諸如興建碼頭的計畫已作罷；潛水小艇從將近五十艘，減至一次只允許二十五艘航行。盜捕者獵捕鯊魚，供應強烈需求昂貴的魚翅湯，有利可圖的亞洲市場（例如台灣）。該鎮由世界野生動物基金會協助，正與盜捕者對抗。

Although Donsol has been designated a sanctuary, whale sharks still face danger when they slip beyond its waters. Villagers say they have seen sharks with spear wounds and slashed fins or tails. Tourists are required to watch a video about whale shark protection before going out to sea. Many visitors return to shore transformed into advocates. 

雖然，丹索鎮已被指定為禁獵區，當鯨鯊溜出海域，仍會面臨危險。村民說，他們看到鯊魚被魚叉刺傷，以及被亂砍的魚翅或尾巴。觀光客出海前，被要求觀看有關保護鯨鯊的錄影帶。很多訪客回到海濱，成為保護鯨鯊的倡導者。

Whale sharks can grow as long as 18 meters and weigh up to 34 tons. But they don't eat meat, surviving by sucking seawater into their gaping mouths and sieving plankton and tiny crustaceans on their gill rakes, marine experts say. Little is known about the nature of whale sharks,
which roam warm tropical seas. They congregate in Donsol’s murky waters from January to June, probably because of the abundance of plankton, says the local branch of the conservation group World Wildlife Fund.
Visitors were enthralled by the whale sharks' gentleness, swimming like gigantic dolphins.     

鯨鯊最長可以長到十八米長，重可達三十四噸。海產專家說，鯨鯊不吃肉，以張開的大口吸入海水，在鰓上篩濾浮游生物和微小的甲殼類維生。鯨鯊徜徉在溫暖的熱帶海洋，其天性鮮為人知。保育團體「世界野生動物基金會」當地分會表示，鯨鯊從一月起至六月會聚集在丹索黝暗的水域，可能是因為有豐富的浮游生物。訪客陶醉於溫順親和，像巨大海豚一樣浮游的鯨鯊。