Sponsored By:
The Barbara Delano Foundation
The Homeland Foundation
The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
The AVINA Foundation

Presented By:
WildAid
Hawaii Audubon Society
Pacific Fisheries Coalition

Colin Speedie
Wildlife Trusts Seaquest Project
Seawatch Charter
Waterside House, Falmouth Road
Penryn, Cornwall TR10 8BE, United Kingdom
Email: [email protected]

Abstract

The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) has long been a visitor to the coasts of Britain and Ireland, sometimes in considerable numbers. Cyclical abundance of this nature has often led to the development of an opportunistic fishery, for liver oil, skin, flesh, cartilage, and most recently fins. These fisheries have tended to be of a "boom and bust" nature, either through a natural reduction in surface sightings, or through large scale stock depletion due to an unsustainable take in the fishery.

Basking sharks show a preference for a number of areas around our coasts, and research is currently focusing on these regions. We need to discover how many sharks there are, are the stocks local or migratory, why the sharks favour such areas, whether these areas have importance for the sharks for reasons other than nutrition, and what threats to their survival remain in force.

Recently protected in British waters, the basking shark is now a popular species in the public perception, largely as a result of efforts by conservationists to highlight its plight. Worldwide, hunting remains a serious threat to basking sharks, particularly due to the high value placed on their fins, and our poor level of understanding of populations and their dynamics.