The Hebrides is still the best place in the world for sighting basking sharks
Basking Shark Scotland (BSS), based in Oban recorded 250 individual basking shark sightings last year, despite many places in the UK recording their lowest numbers in many years. The sightings ranged from Caithness to Dumfries & Galloway, but the highest concentration of sightings were recorded in the Hebrides.
BSS says this demonstrates that the Hebrides is still the best place in the world for sighting basking sharks.
The company uses tourism to assist with conducting citizen science on the basking shark population, and works alongside university researchers and provide data to them along with their public submissions.
The BSS sightings are a mixture of public submissions and their own sightings. The largest number spotted in one shoal on one day was over 30 individuals and occurred during a large summer plankton bloom. Although public sightings submissions had dropped by a third in 2014, BSS sightingsincreased by 23% compared to 2013
BSS encourage the public to get involved with spotting the sharks as the more people that can record them from different areas, the better the data is for the scientists studying their movements. During their expeditions, their marine biologist staff collect a large amount of data on the sharks including gender, length, location, bodily features for future identification and any specific behaviour such as breaching.
The basking shark is the second-largest living fish, after the whale shark, and one of three plankton-eating sharks, the others being the whale shark and megamouth shark.
Basking Shark Scotland encourages the public to submit their own sightings at http://baskingsharkscotland.co.uk/scottish-basking-shark-sightings/
Oh dear. I had an incredible time on the Emma Jane last year, such a life altering experience that I was just a little nervous; it couldn’t possibly be as good again, could it? But it was…no, it was better. It might feel like happy accident to get good conditions, find amazing sealife, or really feel at home on a boat with twelve strangers, but of course it’s not; it skill, experience, planning, hard work and kindness. This is family, a family business that has created an ethos and atmosphere that flows through the crew (on shore and at sea) so that you feel totally at ease as you are taken by the hand and shown the wonders of the Hebrides. Vanessa, the steward, was bright, attentive and lovely. Chef Nicola cooked and baked delicious and varied food and is the sweetest and happiest person. Lynsay, wow, capable, knowledgeable and a hawkeye that never failed to spot or identify the multitudinous sealife, plus she’s the beautiful artist on display all over the boat! And Skipper Bren, so relaxed and accomplished that everyone assumed it was his umpteenth season on the Emma Jane…I hope he’s tempted back many more times. Thank you so much for showing me such incredible places, giving me unique experiences and indulging a chatty singleton who kept peeling off to sing in caves or check out the Mishnish’s 80-/ and random locals! I really appreciated the care, attention and honesty of the crew, they clearly love their jobs, had endless patience and are really interesting people to talk with. I can’t wait to come back and have booked another cruise aboard the Emma Jane; can it possibly be as good as this one? I’m not nervous. x
Ellen Orrock: 9 September 2023Skye and the Small Isles: Hebridean horizons