If you hear the word ‘shark’ and get scared, don’t be. Basking sharks are the world’s second largest fish, and totally harmless (the only fatality recorded was when one accidentally tipped up a boat, and the men inside drowned).
These filter feeders have huge mouths, but divers say they just swim right past you! They are more interested in tiny fish and plankton, then you!
Whale sharks are the size of a bus. With unique starry patterns, and pale spots and stripes, on grey-blue bodies.
Second only to whale sharks (above) in size, basking sharks are named after their habit of swimmingly slowly near the surface, like they are basking in the sun.
You’ll normally only spot basking sharks on English coasts, from May to September, when warmer waters are filled with plankton. Popular spots are Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly, plus in the English Channel (a hazard for them from boats, in the world’s busiest shipping lane).
Then they head back to the Azores or Newfoundland. Often they have dorsal fins that are seen above the water, people then think they are great white sharks!
Although not yet endangered, basking sharks face growing risks in English waters from litter, pollution, over-fishing and boats. Thankfully, this a priority species (protected by law) and swims in many marine-protected areas.
Threats Facing Basking Sharks
Aside from the obvious (climate change causes warming waters to affect food and migration patterns), basking sharks face many other hazards:
Overfishing and By-Catch
Although some cultures just fish for what they need, the huge over-fishing industry catches everything in its past, including other creatures that get trapped in nets or suffer from ship strike.
These creatures then suffocate or die. If you do eat fish, look for brands that guarantee using methods that do not catch other creatures.
Pollution and Plastic Waste
Most discarded rubbish ends up in our seas, whether it’s dropped from boats, littered by the seaside or littered in rivers or down toilets (which also inevitably ends up in our seas).
From plastic to oil pollution, and from plastic straws to things flushed down loos (you should only flush toilet paper), it all creates issues for basking sharks and other marine creatures.
Ship Strikes
Ships can hit basking sharks, and harm or kill them. Basking sharks are particularly at risk in areas with lots of ships like the English Channel (the world’s busiest shipping lane).
Ways to Protect Harmless Basking Sharks
Worldwide, the best solution is to create ocean sanctuaries. These are kind of like the ‘Switzerland of the seas’ – peaceful spaces that are not owned by any country. So no-one is allowed to fish, hunt or pollute the area. Most ships also are not allowed (or if they do venture nearby, there are strict rules on speed and pollution. Jet skis are not allowed either.
This gives all fish, seabirds and marine creatures room to ‘feed and breed’. They are basically safe from human interference (though of course any pollution or litter travels worldwide in the oceans, often from thousands of miles away).
Reduce Ocean Pollution & Litter
- Choose reusable over disposable, taking litter home with you. If you smoke, use a personal ashtray (this immediately extinguishes cigarette butts, until you find a bin).
- Get involved in volunteer beach clean-ups to remove existing waste, and encourage local people to keep beaches clean.
- If you eat fish, look for brands that are certified to never use methods that by-catch other creatures.
- If you dive or snorkel, keep away from basking sharks to avoid bubbles or disturbance, enter water gently, to minimise splashing. If you see one, position yourself alongside, so not to restrict movement.
- Do not use flash photography near basking sharks, nor jet skis (these harm all creatures, and can separate mothers from their parents, if you drive through).
Be a Wildlife-Friendly Boater
WiSE is the national scheme that lists wildlife-friendly boat operators, and people who own boats (private or professional use) can take a five-hour course (refreshed every 3 years) to be a wildlife-friendly sailor. You can then use their logo on your literature.
Help Stranded and Injured Basking Sharks
If you do see any marine creature that you are concerned about, call British Divers Marine Life Rescue(the RSPCA and Coastguard can also put you through). Keep the area quiet, to reduce stress.
If you wish, you can take a Marine Mammal Medic Course, to be of the organisation’s emergency rescue volunteers (you must have a smartphone to be alerted). You receive a lifejacket and insurance, for the first year.
You will learn how to rescue whales, dolphins and seals. The dummy whales used on beaches are so lifelike, that often local rush over to help!
Other Sharks Found on England’s Coast
- Shortfin mako sharks can swim up to 50 miles per hour. They eat swordfish and tuna and (like dolphins) dive out of the water. They are occasionally seen around English waters.
- Blue sharks (like most sharks) only visit England in summer, and sometimes travel up to 5000 miles to reach us! Swimming in large groups, they are fortunate to arrive here, as tiger and great white sharks often eat them on the journey.
- Common thresher sharks have a tail that’s often longer than them, which they whip around to stun or disorientate fish on sea-beds. They are again summer visitors.
- Greenland sharks are smaller than great white sharks, and they swim so deep, you are unlikely to see them. They live from 250 to 400 years! The longest-living vertebrates, they only give birth after 150, and it takes 8 to 18 years to gestate a baby!
Other Sharks Around the World
The crazy-looking hammerhead shark (nine species) has binocular vision, and can use their heads to ram their prey. They can swim sideways, and amazingly, females can fertilise their own eggs, to give birth without a male shark.
What About Terrifying Sharks?
All sharks are severely endangered, including great white sharks. These creatures do look terrifying, but usually only kill humans, when mistaking surfboards for fish (hence most attacks are in Australia).
All sharks form an important part of ecosystems. Yet many suffer to make shark fin soup (no taste, just used for decoration) with fins cut off, and they are thrown back in the sea, to die).
Never buy anything suspect while abroad (since June 2023, it’s illegal to import shark fins into the UK). Also never buy shark teeth when abroad. Visit Bite Back for ways to help all sharks across the world.
Beauty Brands with Squalene/Squalane
Although some companies make plant-based versions, most squalene or squalane oil in cosmetics is from sharks. Commonly found in wrinkle creams, deodorants, lip balms, sunscreens and lipsticks, check for vegan logos before purchase.
It takes 3000 sharks to make just one ton of squalene, meaning almost 3 million sharks are killed each year. Just to take oil from their livers, to use in the beauty and pharmaceutical industries.
The reason shark liver oil is used is because their swim bladders keep them buoyant in the ocean (so it’s believed the same can be done for skin). But you can get the same effects from plant-based squalene from olives, sugarcane, rice brand, wheat germ or amaranth seed.
And like ‘shark finning’, often the people who sell the livers remove the liver. Then throw these wonderful creatures back in the ocean.
