26th June, 2009Snorkellers have today witnessed basking shark behaviour never before seen anywhere in the world. Up to five basking shark pups have been born to two females during a mass gathering of the world’s second largest fish, off the coast of Cornwall.
Since Monday 1 June Cornwall Wildlife Trust, along with Seaquest, has run a surveying project funded by British International Helicopters. To date, the 40 trained volunteers have sighted a basking shark every day, with an estimated 900 sightings in total.
Tom Hardy, marine conservation officer for Cornwall Wildlife Trust, has also reported six basking shark breaches during this period. Breaching is incredibly rare behaviour and was photographed in the UK for the first time in 2006.
According to Joan Edwards, head of marine policy for The Wildlife Trusts, this behaviour is usually only seen in large groups. She said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for science and to advance our understanding of this spectacular species. This just goes to show, what an important marine habitat the UK provides and enhances the importance of protecting such hotspots for this species.
“We just don’t know enough about their behaviour. There are theories about breaching being a form of communication linked to mating rituals or behaviour. It may be to do with males herding females. So we would issue a word of caution to people not to get too close to this supergroup. There is a risk of breach. And human contact may also have effects on the young or potentially the entire group.
“This is fantastic timing. The Wildlife Trusts believe some areas of the South West coast and west of Scotland are seasonally very important areas for the mating and reproduction of basking sharks. The Marine and Coastal Access Bill, which will be discussed by MPs in Parliament next week, will hopefully provide us with the legislation that will allow us to establish Marine Conservation Zones for our marine wildlife, including basking sharks.”
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