Sightings volunteers of the Seaquest Basking Shark Project, run by Cornwall Wildlife Trust, worked from dawn to dusk through June, July and August at Hella Point, near Land’s End.
June was the zenith of activity, reflecting a late-spring plankton bloom. An impressive 546 basking sharks were recorded that month.
As the plankton disappeared, so did the sharks. In July there were just 52 sightings, while for August, for which figures are still being collected, even fewer are expected.
Project co-ordinator and volunteer Dr Jane Manning said: “You don’t have to get on a boat to see a basking shark up close. Sometimes they swim in near to the shore, and the volunteers have seen them less than 50m away.
“Watching from the cliffs is probably the best way to see them because it costs nothing and does not involve disturbing the sharks in any way, which means they are more likely to stick around for longer.”
Funding for the research was provided by British International Helicopters and the BBC Wildlife Fund.
A forthcoming survey report will be made freely available online.
The Cornwall Wildlife Trust files its information with the national Wildlife Trusts. This in turn works with the Marine Conservation Society and the Shark Trust to research and campaign on behalf of basking sharks.
The conservation groups work closely with the UK Government’s Basking Shark Species Action Plan steering group.
In British waters the creature is protected from slaughter, injury or harassment under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. But greater protection is sought for European and other international waters.
Despite generally healthy springtime sightings of basking sharks off southern and western seaboards of the UK and Ireland, numbers are known to have dropped internationally due to overfishing.
This is despite protections under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and CMS (Convention on Migratory Species).
The basking shark sits on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List, for animals threatened with extinction.
Related links
Cornwall Wildlife Trust
The Wildlife Trusts
Marine Conservation Society
The Shark Trust
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