A rare megamouth shark has been caught by Filipino fishermen. Despite protests from an environmentalist on the scene, the shark was butchered and eaten, according to the WWF.

“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,” says Yokelee Lee, WWF-US program officer for the Coral Triangle (National Geographic). “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.”

Only 40 megamouths have previously been found, leading this Megachasma pelagios to be imaginatively christened Megamouth 41 by the Florida Museum of Natural History.

The Philippine Star says the shark was cooked “kinunot-style”, with coconut milk, malunggay leaves and chilli. On the blog of the Toronto-based Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture, Leonard presents a semi-sarcastic recipe for how to make Kinunot.

“Now, we’re not saying go out and catch an endangered species of shark and cook it up with your friends at a party, but if you DO happen to find yourself with a bigass shark in your possession, you’d better at least know how to prepare it right,” he writes.

For the record, megamouth sharks are awesome and The Great Beyond is distraught that this specimen was eaten, rather than being studied by scientists.

Image: WWF-Philippines & Elson Aca