Basking sharks are welcome visitors to the British coastline during the summer months, when they swim close to the surface straining the sea water through modified gills to collect plankton. The species is listed as endangered and the MCS promotes and collects public sightings, through the Basking Shark Watch (BSW) project to try to help us understand more about this enigmatic animal.

Until recently, while summer sightings were quite common, nothing was known about the animals distribution during the winter months. Recently (May 14 2009), however, researchers have filled in the blanks. Satellite based tracking systems have followed basking sharks as they overwinter at depths between 200m and 1km, while migrating through the tropical waters of the Atlantic. The sharks were observed to stay at these depths for weeks or months at a time, effectively vanishing from sight!

For more information:

Science News Report

To report a sighting, or for more information on basking sharks in UK waters:

MCS basking sharks reportings