Exploitation, Law and Conservation
Information
Unfortunately for the basking shark it has long been a fishery target as its
one-ton liver is exceedingly rich in commercially valuable oils, and its
enormous fins are used in Chinese sharks'-fin soup. Targeted basking shark
fisheries still exist and huge numbers of basking sharks are accidentally
caught in fishing nets worldwide. These accidental basking shark catches are
often de-finned as the sharks’ fins command large prices. This photograph by
Michael Craine, is of a basking shark that was accidentally trapped in nets off
the Isle of Man. It was released but later died.
Apparently a whole basking shark was recently displayed ready for sale in a
French supermarket. Pictures of this were displayed on the web! Basking sharks
grow to maturity late and breed slowly. These magnificent creatures are an
important part of the complex ecology of temperate seas and should be
protected. Laws may protect these magnificent animals in parts of the world but
deep-rooted attitudes need to change before their world-wide exploitation can
be effectively halted.
Dried basking shark fins are used to make sharks'-fin soup. The enormous dorsal
fin can command huge prices in oriental fish markets.
Picture: Marine Conservation Society.
Law
The Isle of Man was the first place in the British Isles to protect basking
sharks. In the 1990s Ken Watterson’s Basking Shark Society did much to raise
the profile of the basking shark on the Isle of Man. This undoubtedly
stimulated political activity that encouraged new legislation to protect the
basking shark on the Island and further afield
No basking shark fishing is allowed inside the 12 mile no-take zone. This is
marked by
the blue-dotted line arround the the British coast. Dr David Sims has shown
that
tagged basking sharks spend 80% of their time out of this safe zone
so ideally protection needs to be extended.
Basking sharks were first named as a protected species on the Isle of Man under
the Manx 1990 Wildlife Act. The basking shark is listed as a protected animal
under schedule 5 of the Wildlife Act (1990). Under section 9 of the Wildlife
Act it is an offence to kill, injure or catch basking sharks. It is also an
offence for someone to have in their possession a basking shark or any part of
a basking shark or product derived from a basking shark. Selling or
transporting basking sharks or their parts or products is also an offence. The
Wildlife Act also states that it is an offence to damage or obstruct access to
an area used by basking sharks for shelter or protection or to disturb a
basking shark whilst it is sheltering or seeking protection. Examples of
possible offences under the Wildlife Act (1990) would be to injure a basking
shark with a boat propeller, to disturb basking sharks with jetskis or to be
found with a basking shark fin aboard a boat.
The person who damaged this basking shark off the Isle of Man, presumably in
early July,
would be open to prosecution under the Wildlife Act (1990).
England, Scotland, and Wales have protected the basking shark in coastal
waters, up to 12 nautical miles offshore, since 1998 when the 2nd review of the
Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) came into effect. In England, Scotland and
Wales basking sharks and cetaceans are also protected under the Countryside and
Rights of Way Act (CROW), 2000, from harassment and disturbance. The Northern
Irish government has its own Wildlife Regulation Order (1985). The species is
currently being reviewed for inclusion in the WRO. The review is likely to go
out to consultation this summer, June/July 2005.
In 2000 the basking shark was finally listed as ‘vunerable’ on the IUCN
(International Union for the Conservation of Nature) red list and as endangered
for the NorthEast Atlantic. The IUCN red list has associated recommendations
but no obligations. Implementation of the red list relies on the laws of each
individual country.
The Isle of Man government was instrumental in urging the UK government to push
for a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) listing.
This was supported by a wave of public support encouraged by Ken Watterson’s
Basking Shark Society. In 2002 the UK government successfully proposed to list
the basking shark on Appendix II of CITES. This compels signatory countries to
prevent trade in species listed.
Basking sharks are protected in the Mediterranean under the Bern Convention and
the Barcelona Convention (unratified). They are also protected in US Atlantic
waters. There is no protection in the waters of Eire.
Until 2003 Norway still had an EU quota that allowed them to catch 400 tonnes
of basking shark liver, approximately 250-300 basking sharks. It seems that
this fishery has now stopped because of economic reasons.
There is a basking shark Species Action Plan that aims to further research and
to provide protection for the basking shark. Lead partners are the Wildlife
Trusts, The Marine Conservation Society and The Shark Trust. This is part of
the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
However, with all this protection, until November 2005 the species was only
protected inside the 12 nautical miles (nm) limit! Dr David Sims showed that
tracked basking sharks only spend 20% of their time within 12 nm of the coast.
They therefore spend 80% of their time in a zone where they are not legally
protected! This information about basking shark movements plus data compiled by
the Marine Conservation Society (UK) was used to support a proposal that they
be protected in international waters.
Finally in November 2005 Basking sharks were added to the Bonn Convention on
Migratory Species and as a result the North Atlantic Fisheries Commision
recommend that there be NO FISHING FOR BASKING SHARKS in the North Atlantic.
This was initiated by the MCS to whom all our Isle of Man data is sent. Good
result!
Fishing
Basking sharks and whales have always been hunted by humans who value the oil
and other commodities they provide. The historic cottage industry in shark
fishing used the liver oil for lighting and in the tanning process. The meat
was used for food and the rough skin for shark skin leather . Basking shark
fisheries have existed in temperate waters all around the world, including
Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Iceland, California, China, Peru and Ecuador.
Basking shark skin is very rough. It used to be tanned and made into leather
for non-slip boot soles for fishermen. This photograph was taken
from a kayak off Niarbyl, the Isle of Man.
Picture: Shane Stigant.
Basking shark liver oil is rich in squalene, an oil typically found in deep-sea
sharks. In the 20th century shark liver oil has been used in the aviation
industry as a lubricant, as a cure-all tonic, as a vitamin supplement and in
cosmetics . The oil is used in the tempering process for high-grade steel. The
flesh has sometimes been processed into fishmeal.
The price of basking shark liver oil fell in the late 1980s and it seemed that
the basking shark fisheries would become unprofitable and cease to exist.
Unfortunately the falling demand for shark liver oil has been counterbalanced
by a rising market for sharks' fin soup. As China becomes more affluent this
demand will only increase. One basking shark can yield 90 kg of fins. As dried
shark’s fins may cost US$600-700 per kg this makes the easily transported fins
an irresistible fisheries target. The apothecary shops in Hong Kong display the
huge fins in pride of place and there seems to be no inclination to change this
practice.
Fishing methods.
Seasonal basking shark fisheries have existed for hundreds of years. Originally
hunting methods were much the same as for whales, hand-held harpoons being used
from small boats. Basking shark fishing was a very hazardous activity as the
newly harpooned sharks immediately ‘sounded’, diving deep and struggling.
During the 20th century hand held harpoons gave way to non-explosive harpoons
fired from small whale guns. The Irish Achill Island basking shark fishery
initially used harpoons but later set-nets were used to trap the sharks in
shallow water which were then harpooned. Presumably this was safer for the
fishermen.
Dead basking sharks are slightly denser than water. This means that they would
sink' so it was common practice to inject air into the dead shark to keep it
afloat.
European basking shark fisheries.
The 20th century saw a thriving basking shark fishery in European temperate
waters. Between 1946 and 1986 basking shark fisheries in Norway, Scotland and
Ireland took 77,204 basking sharks. The success of these basking shark
fisheries varied enormously from year to year as sometimes the basking sharks
arrived in enormous numbers and there were hardly any in other years. In good
years it could be hugely profitable.
Gavin Maxwell, who is most famous for his best seller “The Ring of Bright
Water”, had a basking shark fishery off Soay, Scotland in the 1950s. It became
one of the fisheries most famous economic failures as this escapade in
Maxwells’ life produced a very readable account of the methods of the time in
his book “Harpoon at a Venture”.
Between 1947 and 1975 there was a thriving basking shark fishery operating out
of Achill Island, Co. Mayo, Republic of Ireland. Between 1947 and 1975 they
took 12,360 sharks. The Achill catches peaked in the 1950s and then fell
sharply after 1956 as shark numbers declined. This decline was attributed to
over-fishing of a local population. It can be too simplistic, however, to
assume a straight relationship between intensive fishing and the decline of a
fish population. When Drs Sims and Reid examined the relationship between
historical plankton data and basking shark catches of the Achill fishery they
concluded that the decline was probably due to a local decline in the basking
sharks foodstuff rather than to over-fishing.
Until very recently the Norwegians have had an active basking shark fishery,
being responsible for landing the majority of basking sharks in the NE
Atlantic. In 1970 they took 18,700 tonnes and in 1975 18,352 tonnes and then it
slowly declined. Norway landed approximately 28,526 individuals basking sharks
between 1989 and 1997. Bizarrely enough, given the laws to protect basking
sharks in European waters, until very recently they had a quota from the EU
that allowed them to take 100 tonnes of basking shark liver per year. This was
in exchange for a quota of white fish taken from Norwegian waters by UK
fishermen as part of an overall fisheries Agreement.
Conservation
You probably think of conservation as something that is the responsibility of
governments, environmental groups or charities. In the case of basking sharks
conservation YOU can make a difference by sending in basking shark sightings!
It may not be clear to you how this can make a difference to this magnificent
but vunerable animal but read this short section and it will be clearer.
In the English Oxford dictionary conservation is defined as the 'protection,
preservation and careful management of natural resources'. It is
difficult for land-bound humans to visualise what is happening in the oceans
because we cannot easily see under the water surface. This makes it difficult
to count the fish or assess the state of underwater habitats. It is all too
easy to assume that things are just fine down there and that it will continue
to be so. We are now realising that this is not so and governments are creating
laws to preserve what is left. Large, slow breeding species such as basking
sharks and whales are particularly vunerable because their natural rate of
increase is so slow. It is very difficult for scientists to collect data about
their movements and behaviours because they have limited funding and there are
few of them (more of them later).
Governments need to make laws to protect vunerable species such as the basking
shark.
YOU can provide the information about their numbers and movements
that will convince them to do so.
Photograph: Mike Glover.
Conservation of basking sharks requires several things to happen.
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People need to be interested in basking sharks. Public and government awareness
can be raised through public sighting schemes such as the Manx Basking Shark
Watch, documentaries, news articles and , of course, websites like this.
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Scientists need to research to provide a sound information base that
governments will listen to and believe. Schemes such as the Manx Basking Shark
Watch in combination with the Marine Conservation Basking Shark Watch will
contribute a lot to this!
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Governments need to put adaquate legistlation in place to protect basking
sharks in all their habitats, not just in the 12 nautical mile inshore
protection that is in place now.
If you have read the section on the current legal situation with regard to the
protection of basking sharks you will be aware that there are large holes in
it. Each country is fairly free to interpret the legislation according to the
laws of its own country and most countries don't have ANY laws to protect
basking sharks, either inside or outside the 12 nautical mile limit. Given that
Dr David Sims has shown that tagged basking sharks spend 80% of their time
outside the 12 mile limit, this leaves the sharks largely unprotected in most
of their habitat. So, raise the issue with your local MP but above all SEND IN
YOUR SIGHTING REPORTS PLEASE! This will enable scientists to provide convincing
information to governments.
Basking Shark Scientists and Sighting Schemes.
Two major basking shark sighting schemes enlist the help of the public in
British waters. If you know of others please let us know! Use the blue links to
find contact details for each of these groups.
There is, of course, the Marine Conservation Basking Shark Watch, of which the
Manx Basking Shark Watch is a part. This project aims to monitor the annual
geographical movements of basking sharks, the time of year that they are
present at each location, fish size, group size and activity patterns. Their
(your) observations from 1987 to present have provided vital information that
has put basking shark populations on the map (see some of these maps in 'How
Where and When to Watch Basking Sharks' ) and see more on the Marine
Conservation Basking Shark Watch Website.
Dr Colin Speedie works with the European Basking Shark Photo-identification
Project (EBSPiP) that aims to identify individual basking sharks by being able
to recognise their fins and other identifying features such as size, scars etc.
Their work will enable scientists to track individual's movements. It may
ultimately teach us something about population size. This scheme engages the
help of the public in the same way as the Manx Basking Shark Watch does. You
need to send them still photographs and/or video footage of the sharks you have
seen. Please see their very sensible Basking Shark Code. Their work is linked
with that of the Shark Trust, The Wildlife Trusts, and WWF.
Dr David Sims research group is currently working on tagging individual basking
sharks off the south coast of Britain. Their work has provided much-needed
information about basking sharks home ranges and it has answered the mystery of
where they go in winter. A lot of the current biological basking shark research
on feeding and social activity is coming from this group and a lot of the
biology section in this website is based on their work.
Dr Mavis Gore is tracking basking shark movements and taking detailed samples
of plankton near to shark populations off the Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland. Her
team's work should provide information on Scottish basking sharks movements
which will complement Dr David Sims work in the south of Britain.
The UK Biodiversity Action Plan has a basking shark Species Action Plan that
aims to further research and to provide protection for the basking shark. Lead
partners are the Wildlife Trusts, The Marine Conservation Society and The Shark
Trust.
Dr Mavis Gore is tracking basking shark movements and taking detailed samples
of plankton near to shark populations off the Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland. Her
team's work should provide information on Scottish basking sharks movements
which will complement Dr David Sims work in the south of Britain.
The UK Biodiversity Action Plan has a basking shark Species Action Plan that
aims to further research and to provide protection for the basking shark. Lead
partners are the Wildlife Trusts, The Marine Conservation Society and The Shark
Trust).
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