Codes of Conduct
The Manx Basking Shark Watch Code of Conduct.
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Marine Wildlife and
Boating on the Isle of Man: Basking Sharks.
Basking sharks, the second
largest fish in the world, are harmless plankton eaters. They can be up to 10 m
long, as long as a bus, and weigh as much as two elephants.
Their Manx name is Gobbag vooar, which means ‘big mouth’. They
filter microscopic plankton from the water using mucous covered gill rakers.
Boat users will often encounter them doing this at or just under the water.
Photo: Charles Hood.
We are fortunate to see many
basking sharks in Manx waters and it is easy to think of them as common: they
are not. Fisheries threats from the horrible shark-finning industry mean that
they are very endangered, listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN red list. There
may be only 8200 of them left in the whole world. They are very slow breeding,
having 5 or 6 live pups about every 3 years. You may see newborns of 1.5- 2m in
Manx waters. Manx law protects basking sharks from harassment, fishing or
reckless injury. If you injure one through reckless boat driving you are liable
to be prosecuted and fined up to £5000.
This basking shark is as long as the boat but you can only see the
dorsal and tail fin. This makes them very vulnerable to being run over by
boats. Photo: Graham Hall.
Basking sharks are often seen very close inshore in Manx waters
from mid-May to mid August. This map shows Manx Basking Shark Watch sighting
reports for 2008.
This basking shark has been injured by collision with a boat
propeller. We never saw it again. It may have died. Photo: Ian and Jane Young.
You may encounter
these rare creatures during their ‘social swimming’ courtship rituals. This
involves them swimming very close together, parallel to one another, or one
behind the other, or even nose to tail, sometimes in circular groups of two or
more sharks. If you see this behaviour you should leave the area. It is against
the law to disturb their courtship rituals and it is dangerous for boats to be
close to basking sharks at this time as they are liable to breach, leaping clear
out of the water. If they land on your boat this would be bad press for the
basking sharks and very bad news for you and your boat! These social swimming
events are possible anywhere off the South and West of the Island but they
are most likely to occur in flat calm weather close inshore between Bradda
Head, Fleshwick and offshore of Contrary Head near Peel.
Leave the area immediately if you see parallel swimming like this
as it is intense courtship behaviour. They may breach at any moment. Photo: Mal
Kelly.
This is nose to tail swimming, leave the area immediately or you
will disturb their courtship behaviour. Photo: Mal Kelly.
The front of this basking shark fin has a pink rub mark. You see
rub marks elsewhere on basking sharks. These may be due to the basking sharks
rubbing up against one anothers rough, sandpaper-like skin during social
swimming. Manx Basking Shark Watch researchers are interested in these rub
marks so please include descriptions, photos if possible, in your basking shark
report. Photo: Adrian Corkill
Boat Control in Basking Shark Hotspots.
· Restrict your speed
to below 6 knots and avoid sudden speed changes.
· Do not approach
closer than 100m.
· When closer than
100m switch the engine to neutral to avoid injuring sharks.
· Avoid disturbing
groups of sharks as you may disrupt courtship behaviour.
· Do not approach
areas where basking sharks have been observed breaching.
· Jet-skis seriously
disturb basking sharks, they should stay at least 500m away.
· For every shark
visible on the surface there are likely to be many more just below.
· Avoid sailing your
boat along the foamy, plankton-filled tidal fronts. They are often full of
jellyfish and floating seaweed. This is where the sharks feed.
Tips.
· Take time to
observe the direction of movement of the basking sharks then quietly position
the vessel alongside their anticipated course for a safe and enjoyable view.
· If you find basking
sharks close to your vessel switch your engine to neutral, remain calm and
quiet and enjoy a close view of these magnificent animals until they move away.
· For more
information, about basking sharks and how to see them on the Isle of Man see www.manxbaskingsharkwatch.com, website of the
Manx Wildlife Trust’s Manx Basking Shark Watch, phone 01624 801345.
· Don't forget to
send your sighting reports and basking shark photos to Manx Basking Shark
Watch. They are particularly interested to hear about possible courtship
behaviour.
· To report a dead
basking shark or someone behaving inappropriately near basking sharks please
ring Dr Gell, Wildlife and Conservation Officer for DAFF on 01624 843109.
· DAFF also offer
WiSe training and accreditation courses to operators of registered and charter
vessels wishing to view marine animals. The course is designed to ensure that
they have an understanding of how to approach marine wildlife and how to
minimize disturbance to those animals. They also agree to abide by Codes of
Conduct for the animals they view
· It is not advisable
to dive or swim with basking sharks.
_________________________________________________________________________________
This code of conduct is from the Shark Trust. Their European Basking Shark Photo-Identification Project: (EBSPiP) receives basking shark \images from all around Europe. This information is being used to identify individual basking sharks. It is hoped that this will enable scientists to identify individual basking shark's migratory movements. If you would like full details of how to photograph useful basking shark \images and contribute them to EBSPiP please contact them. The basking shark code of conduct below is from their leaflet. It is wise to adhere to it for legal reasons, for your own safety and to avoid undue stress to the basking sharks.
A snorkeller with a feeding basking shark off Niarbyl, Isle of Man,
Do not approach the shark, let it come to you!
This picture was taken from a kayak.
Picture: Shane Stigant.
The Law.
The Isle of Man was the first place in the British Isles to protect basking sharks. Under the Manx Wildlife Act 1990 it is illegal to kill, injure or catch basking sharks. It is also an offence to disturb basking sharks or to damage or obstruct access to an area used by basking sharks for shelter or protection. It is illegal to kill, injure, or to recklessly disturb basking sharks in British waters under section 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Boat Control near Basking Sharks.
- Restrict your speed to below 6 knots and avoid sudden speed changes.
- Do not approach closer than 100m.
- When closer than 100m switch the engine to neutral to avoid injuring sharks.
- Avoid disturbing dense groups of sharks as you may disrupt courtship behaviour.
- Do not approach areas where basking sharks have been observed breaching.
- Jet-skis are incompatible with basking sharks and should stay at least 500m away.
- Remember, for every shark visible on the surface there are likely to be more hidden just below.
This is why you should keep your boat engine in neutral when basking sharks are around!
This shark was injured off the Isle of Man and was spotted several times in early July.
Tips.
- Take time to observe the direction of movement of the basking sharks then quietly position the vessel alongside their anticipated course for a safe and enjoyable view.
- If you find basking sharks close to your vessel switch your engine to neutral, remain calm and quiet and enjoy a close view of these magnificent animals until they move away. Don't forget to take photographs!
Cartoon by Derek Pitman: Be very careful moving your boat when you have seen one basking shark because where there is one shark there may be many more around.
Swimming with Basking Sharks.
One very big basking shark with a very small human swimmer behind. Basking sharks may be harmless in as much that they eat plankton but they are very large, powerful animals. Follow the advice below and think carefully before swimming with them!
Picture:Pauline Oliver.
It is not advisable to swim with basking sharks, both for your safety and for the safety of the sharks. If you do decide to enter the water please take note of the following precautions.
- Do not try to touch the sharks.
- Maintain a distance of greater than 4m from each basking shark and be wary of the tail.
- Avoid entering the water if visibility is less than 4m.
- Groups of swimmers must stay together and ideally remain at the surface.
- Restrict the numbers of swimmers in the water at any time to 4.
- Avoid flash photography as this can scare the sharks.
- Do not use underwater-propelled devices.
It is very important to avoid the basking shark's large tail! This is a large, powerful animal, it could injure you as it swims past. This shark was off Bradda Head, Isle of Man.
Picture: Maura Mitchell.
Try to anticipate the direction of movement of the basking sharks and enter the water 100m ahead of the group. Stay calm and still at the water's surface and you may be lucky enough to see this enigmatic giant as it swims past. Make like a piece of drifting seaweed and you might get lucky. DO NOT FIN HARD AND SPLASH AROUND.
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