Latest news with #SharkTrust
North Wales Chronicle
10 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
40ft giant sharks spotted swimming around UK shores
The North Wales coast - particularly Anglesey - is one of the locations where you might spot a basking shark, the second largest fish in the world. You can also see these giants around the coast of Ireland, as you can see below from last month. Highlight of today! 🦈 a beautiful basking shark 😲 what an amazing sight to watch swimming around. We also spotted it again over an hour later. A wonderful day out with Isle of Harris Sea Tours 🌊 #IsleofHarris At least 21 species live in British waters all year round, including some of the largest and fastest. As well as the 21 resident sharks, there are at least 11 deepwater shark species, including the Portuguese Dogfish, Black Dogfish, Kitefin Shark and Gulper Shark. But don't worry, all are harmless, and it is still safe to go back in the water. The basking shark is the second biggest fish in the world and it lives right here in the UK! 🦈 With @SkyZeroOfficial, we captured 360° footage of basking shark behaviour to make the case for a new Marine Protected Area. During warmer months, you may be lucky enough to spot the world's second-largest fish. The filter-feeding Basking Shark. Basking Shark season tends to be May or October, and there are a few hotspots around the British Isles where you'll most likely spot them. Well-known hot spots: Basking sharks pose no danger to humans in general, but they are large animals and their skin is extremely rough, so caution is urged during any encounters. The basking shark can reach lengths up to 40 feet (12 m). However, just because you don't see a basking shark at any given place & time, doesn't mean they aren't there. Basking sharks spend 90% of their time underwater and not at the surface. So clear beaches are your best bet to see this mammoth fish. According to Basking Shark Scotland: "During Spring, water temperature increases, sun hours and daylight increases and nutrients are highly available in the water. "Like terrestrial plants coming to life in Spring, the ocean is no different and plankton starts to bloom. So you'll not be surprised that basking sharks being planktivores (eating plankton) also appear when the plankton appears!" Recommended reading: Is this Britain's first Great White shark sighting? Experts on why there have been more shark sightings Great white sharks could migrate to UK waters by next year Other sharks found in UK waters Other seasonal visitors include the Blue Shark and Shortfin Mako. Blue Sharks are highly migratory and can travel over 5,700 miles (9,200km) in a single trip. The Shortfin Mako is the fastest shark on record. They can reach speeds of up to 30mph, enabling them to catch fast-swimming prey such as tuna and swordfish. Shark Trust states: "Only a few sharks are potentially dangerous to humans. None of these have ever been reported in British waters. "With so many shark species under threat seeing a shark in British waters should be a cause for celebration."
Rhyl Journal
11 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
40ft giant sharks spotted swimming around UK shores
The North Wales coast - particularly Anglesey - is one of the locations where you might spot a basking shark, the second largest fish in the world. You can also see these giants around the coast of Ireland, as you can see below from last month. Highlight of today! 🦈 a beautiful basking shark 😲 what an amazing sight to watch swimming around. We also spotted it again over an hour later. A wonderful day out with Isle of Harris Sea Tours 🌊 #IsleofHarris At least 21 species live in British waters all year round, including some of the largest and fastest. As well as the 21 resident sharks, there are at least 11 deepwater shark species, including the Portuguese Dogfish, Black Dogfish, Kitefin Shark and Gulper Shark. But don't worry, all are harmless, and it is still safe to go back in the water. The basking shark is the second biggest fish in the world and it lives right here in the UK! 🦈 With @SkyZeroOfficial, we captured 360° footage of basking shark behaviour to make the case for a new Marine Protected Area. During warmer months, you may be lucky enough to spot the world's second-largest fish. The filter-feeding Basking Shark. Basking Shark season tends to be May or October, and there are a few hotspots around the British Isles where you'll most likely spot them. Well-known hot spots: Basking sharks pose no danger to humans in general, but they are large animals and their skin is extremely rough, so caution is urged during any encounters. The basking shark can reach lengths up to 40 feet (12 m). However, just because you don't see a basking shark at any given place & time, doesn't mean they aren't there. Basking sharks spend 90% of their time underwater and not at the surface. So clear beaches are your best bet to see this mammoth fish. According to Basking Shark Scotland: "During Spring, water temperature increases, sun hours and daylight increases and nutrients are highly available in the water. "Like terrestrial plants coming to life in Spring, the ocean is no different and plankton starts to bloom. So you'll not be surprised that basking sharks being planktivores (eating plankton) also appear when the plankton appears!" Recommended reading: Is this Britain's first Great White shark sighting? Experts on why there have been more shark sightings Great white sharks could migrate to UK waters by next year Other sharks found in UK waters Other seasonal visitors include the Blue Shark and Shortfin Mako. Blue Sharks are highly migratory and can travel over 5,700 miles (9,200km) in a single trip. The Shortfin Mako is the fastest shark on record. They can reach speeds of up to 30mph, enabling them to catch fast-swimming prey such as tuna and swordfish. Shark Trust states: "Only a few sharks are potentially dangerous to humans. None of these have ever been reported in British waters. "With so many shark species under threat seeing a shark in British waters should be a cause for celebration."
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Falmouth Basket Shark aims to raise sea pollution awareness
A creative project aiming to raise awareness of marine pollution is set to see a 20ft (6.1m) model of a basking shark - made from sustainable materials - taken to a Cornish Basket Shark has been made out of items including willow, pallet wood and bamboo in a project led by Falmouth University lecturer Duncan model has been on display in Falmouth's National Maritime Museum during the half-term break and is set to travel down to Gyllyngvase Beach on Sunday to mark World Ocean Cameron said the plan was for the shark to stay at the beach during summer so people could fill it up with plastic found on the sand, before it is taken back to the university in the autumn. He added the year-long project had been set up to highlight the dangers of plastic and marine pollution with a "carbon-neutral but high-impact" project involved other groups including Plastic Free Mylor, the National Maritime Museum, the Shark Trust and Surfers Against Sewage, who worked alongside Mr Cameron and students to develop the shark. He added he was delighted with how the project had gone and been able to let "voices be heard" on an important subject."It's a creative project, but underneath it all there's this larger conversation about plastic in the sea," Mr Cameron said."With all projects, you have an idea and plan and hope to bring people along with you and there have been hundreds of voices in making this shark."
BBC News
16-04-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Jersey children take part in Easter shark egg hunt
Jersey children are being encouraged to take part in an Easter egg hunt of a different National Trust for Jersey is hosting a "shark egg hunt" on Thursday to help teach children about ray and shark species found in the island's an earlier event, participants searched the east coast at La Rocque for cat shark eggs and blonde ray eggs which are the most commonly found in Jersey. The trust said the children's finds would help contribute to the Shark Trust's national database on the species that lived and bred in local waters. Kiefer, eight, said shark eggs were hard to find as they were hidden in seaweed and rocks"They look like mermaid purses, that's what they're called," he said. "It's great fun because I like finding all the stuff." Erin Cowham, the trust's senior education officer, said children taking part in the paid and ticketed event were "citizen scientists" and the sharks around the island were small, so there was no need to be said the the sharks and rays laid eggs out at sea and, once they hatched, the cases washed up on the beach."The national Shark Trust gather data on all the distribution and maps where all the sharks and rays are in the British Isles," she said."We add the data we collect to that so they can build a picture of where they all are".
The Independent
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
‘Life finds a way:' Baby shark born in aquarium tank that only houses females
Life truly foudn a way inside of an Louisiana aquarium earlier this month when a baby shark was born inside a tank that only is home to only female species. Yoko, the new swell shark pup hatched on January 3 after it was first spotted by the aquarium's husbandry team nearly eight months ago. Shreveport Aquarium believes the egg could have even gone undetected for a further two months prior. Miraculously, Yoko arrived despite the fact only two female sharks had been present in the tank for that time and neither shark had been in contact with a male in over three years, said the Shreveport Aquarium release on Friday. Swell sharks are native to the coastal waters of the eastern Pacific and can grow to three feet in size. Curator of live animals Greg Barrick said: 'This situation is incredible and shows the resilience of this species. 'We are very excited in the coming months to confirm whether this was indeed a case of parthenogenesis or if it was delayed fertilization. He positively added, paraphrasing Jeff Goldblum's iconic line as Dr. Ian Malcolm in the original Jurassic Park: 'It really proves that life... uh... finds a way.' Marine handlers at the aquarium have opted for only one possible explanation for the phenomenon: parthenogenesis. According to the aquarium, this is a rare form of asexual reproduction or delayed fertilization, where fertilization occurs long after mating. But this is only a provisional theory, says the team. 'To confirm the exact cause, the husbandry team will take steps to karyotype the pup once it is a suitable size for a blood draw, likely after a few months. 'This DNA analysis will provide definitive confirmation of whether the hatchling is a product of parthenogenesis or delayed fertilization', they stated. Yoko's name derives from the native American Chumash word for shark which translates as 'onyoko'. The young pup was reported to be 'thriving under the care of our dedicated aquarists', said the release. However, this did not rule out concerns held by the center due to Yoko's bizarre birth. They stressed that sharks born under such circumstances could 'face significant challenges' and anticipated that Yoko could suffer a short life span. 'Should Yoko's time with us be brief, it will still leave an unforgettable legacy, contributing invaluable insights to the study of shark reproduction and conservation efforts', a statement read. The swell shark's health is currently being monitored away from the exhibit and visitors are prohibited from seeing Yoko in person. Nonetheless, the aquarium insisted that they would keep people updated on their social media. According to the Shark Trust, Swell Sharks descend from the catshark family and possess a unique threat response when they expand their bodies to double their size by swallowing water. This allows them to wedge and camouflage themselves between obscure hiding spaces.
