Marine Wildlife

Wild Basking Shark Welfare

Basking sharks are the world's second largest fish, visiting UK waters seasonally with welfare considerations including boat disturbance and entanglement in fishing gear.

Key Facts

Basking sharks visit UK and Irish coastal waters from May to October to feed on zooplankton
They are legally protected in UK waters under the Wildlife and Countryside Act
Boat approaches causing sharks to dive disrupt feeding that is critical for their summer fattening
Entanglement in fixed fishing gear and marine debris causes injury and mortality
Scotland hosts the highest concentrations of basking sharks in the UK

Welfare Considerations

Basking shark welfare during summer feeding is affected by boat disturbance that disrupts surface feeding behaviour critical for accumulating energy reserves. Legal protection and boat exclusion distances support welfare of these large, slow-moving fish during their vulnerable feeding period.

What You Can Do

Maintain the legal 100-metre exclusion distance when observing basking sharks
Report basking shark sightings to the Shark Trust to support population monitoring
Support marine tourism operators following responsible whale watching and shark watching codes