Basking sharks are the world's second largest fish and face significant threats from historical hunting, bycatch, and vessel strikes, making welfare and conservation efforts critical.
Basking sharks move slowly and predictably at the surface while filter feeding, making them highly vulnerable to vessel strikes, net entanglement, and disturbance. The physical trauma from propeller strikes can be devastating, and even non-lethal injuries can compromise feeding efficiency. Despite legal protection in many countries, enforcement is challenging, and boat traffic at feeding aggregations frequently disturbs the sharks. Their slow reproductive rate means population recovery is extremely slow, making each individual's welfare and survival consequential.