shark
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have placed the north pacific basking shark as a ‘species of concern’ because of the failure of the sharks to respond to conservation measures. There are currently no plans to add the species to the endangered species list. Scientists hope that by designating the basking shark as a species of concern they will be able to raise awareness of the threats to the fish and encourage further research into why the shark is not responding to the conservation measures.
At one time shoals of hundreds of north pacific basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus} would be seen though now due to overfishing the sharks tend to be observed as individuals and no group larger in number than 3 have been spotted since 1993. although the species is classed a vulnerable on the IUCN redlist the north pacific subpopulation is officially classed as endangered because of the speed of decline and low numbers remaining. The range of the north pacific basking shark covers the western coast of North America from California up to British Columbia in Canada. The sharks are migratory along the coast.
The basking shark was regularly caught up to the 1950′s for use as bait and also as a source of fish oil, in Canada fishermen targeted them up to the 1970′s because of their interference with salmon fishing nets. Despite being protected in both countries now the basking sharks are still at risk from threats such as entanglement with fishing gear and being hit by boats and ships as they feed close to the sea surface.
Despite protection and conservation measures the basking sharks have been slow to recover possibly due to their long gestation periods and low reproductive cycles. This has also raised concerns that recovery of basking sharks could take much longer than other shark species. Basking sharks do not start to mate until they are between 12 and 16 years old and take a 2 or 3 year break between each birth. The gestation period for the shark is believed to be between 2 and 3 years with births of 2 or 3 pups at a time. With the sharks living no longer than 50 years old it’s unlikely that each female will give birth to more than 10 or 12 during it’s lifetime. There is also the concern that numbers have now fallen to such low amounts that the opportunity for mating has also declined.
The basking shark is the second largest fish in the sea behind the whale shark. Even though the grow up to 14 metres long and can weight up to 7 tonnes they are harmless to man and feed on plankton. The basking shark is a migratory species and can be found in many parts of the world, although not in great numbers. They are hunted in many parts of the Asian world for their fins which are a prized delicacy. Basking shark fins are one of the most sought after of all the shark fins.
photo credit: Hermés
