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Endangered Sardines: Fact or Fallacy? By Claudine Valencia & Angel De Jesus Photos by Kassandra Duño & Angelic Cabataña
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or the next few years, the dining tables in Taal that once had a spot for a plate of Tawilis might become empty. Being a staple and a delicacy around towns surrounding Taal Lake, Tawilis, the only
freshwater sardine in the world, has long been a tourist favorite and an iconic breakfast meal paired with fried rice. However, back in October of 2018, Tawilis made the headlines by making it to the endangered species list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). While scientists and experts assert this claim with their research and observations of the behavior of the sardines in the lake, locals living near Taal Lake beg to differ from the experts’ assessment and hold their own claims that the sardines have never been endangered based from their own encounter of catching the prized fish species.
