Basking Sharks........spectacular encounter .... read more...
15th June 2008
The Crew of the Newcastle Inshore Lifeboat had a spectacular if rather startling encounter recently .......... read more...
Basking Sharks
The crew of the Newcastle Inshore Lifeboat had a spectacular if rather startling encounter when out on a training exercise recently. Thrilled to find themselves in the midst of a group of Basking Sharks, things got a little too close for comfort when one of the sharks leapt clear of the water and almost landed on the boat.
The Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the second largest fish in the sea, reaching lengths of up to 12m (the length of a bus). Despite their huge size, Basking Sharks are docile plankton-feeders and can be regularly spotted feeding, mouths agape, in the surface waters off our coastline during the late spring and summer months when their food source of microscopic animals and fish fry is most abundant here. It is not unknown for them to come close into shore and shallow water as they follow drifting patches of plankton.
Unlike many other shark species, Basking Sharks are quite social, they can be seen singly, in small family groups, or in large schools of individuals.
However, just because they feed on plankton doesn't mean to say that they are completely harmless. Their sheer size coupled with a powerful tail can make them formidable and swimmers or divers should remember to keep a distance so as not to disturb them, and, as the lifeboat crew found out, basking sharks are known to leap clear out of the water before crashing back in an action known as breaching, which is no mean feat for an animal that can weigh up to seven tonnes! The reason why they do this isn't really understood but since most breaching takes place when the basking sharks are in groups it is thought to be linked to communication and courtship behaviour.
Basking Sharks are rarely seen during the winter and it was once thought that they migrated to warmer areas or hibernated. Satellite tagging studies have shown that while they do swim many thousands of kilometres during the summer and winter searching for plankton, during the winter months Basking Sharks also spend more time in deeper waters at depths of up to 900m feeding on deep water plankton.
Historically, Basking Sharks were heavily fished for their meat, fins and liver. This along with their slow growth rate and low reproduction, has led to Basking Sharks being listed as globally Vulnerable, and in some areas, Endangered.
In British waters, Basking Sharks are protected, making it illegal to intentionally disturb them. A Basking Shark Code of Conduct has been designed to help boat handlers and swimmers reduce the risk of killing, injuring or harassing Basking Sharks and this can be downloaded from www.baskingsharks.org
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Lisa Ramsden at the Mourne Observer for letting us know about the basking sharks in the first place.
Useful Contacts
The Shark Trust
A conservation charity dedicated to the study and conservation of sharks and rays.
www.sharktrust.org
Marine Conservation Society
Runs the Basking Shark Watch – a UK sightings scheme. To report a Basking Shark sighting visit the website and fill in an online form.
www.mcsuk.org
WiSe Scheme
WiSe (Wildlife Safe) is a scheme set up to deliver training and accreditation for boat handlers and operators of registered passenger and charter vessels who wish to view marine wildlife.
www.wisescheme.org.uk
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