Monday 18 May 2015

Scientists using new technology to track endangered basking sharks as the creatures reach UK shores

Plankton is attracting the sharks directly into the reaches of researchers


ENVIRONMENT EDITOR 


Friday 15 May 2015


The average basking shark may be the size and weight of a double-decker bus, but these giant fish are still notoriously hard to find.

Scientists have so far struggled to track the endangered fish, meaning that very little is known about the species. But all this is about to change – thanks to the amount of plankton found in UK waters at this time of year..

The plankton is attracting the sharks – one of just three shark species that eat plankton – directly into the reaches of researchers. As a result, scientists are now poised to start tagging the sharks for the first time, allowing them to track their movements via GPS.

The move forms part of a groundbreaking project off the Cornish coast that seeks to protect basking sharks.

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