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Rare footage captured by a camera strapped to the back of an endangered shark shows the shocking moment it was hit by a boat – sending the animal running into deep water and resting for hours.
It is unclear whether the massive 7-metre animal, known as a basking shark, survived the collision.
But the incident indicates that such disagreements may be all too normal for species that live in the oceans, according to researchers.
The video — which may be among the first of its kind ever recorded — highlights the need to better protect these sharks as well as better understand them, according to Dr. Alexandra McInturf, a research associate at Oregon State University who co-authored a study of the incident. The findings appear in a paper published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.
“We are calling for a legally enforceable code of conduct in this area, with speed regulations in particular,” McInturf said, referring to the waters around the Blasket Islands off the coast of Ireland, where the basking shark incident occurred and one of the There are few places in the world where animals congregate. “What I’m most hoping to come out of this is just more research on this species.”
Big and indescribable
The basking shark is a relatively docile species, known for scouring the ocean surface for tiny planktonic crustaceans with its jaws open – and for filter-feeding in a way similar to the behavior of its relatives, the basking shark. whale shark and megamouth shark.
The basking shark is an enormous creature, growing to 40 feet (12 meters) long, and is among the largest fish in the world – second only to the Whale shark.
Basking sharks are also threatened. O International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that around 20,000 remain in the world.
In an effort to collect more data on the creatures’ feeding and eating habits, McInturf and his research partners tagged and strapped cameras to about 20 basking sharks.
Then, on April 24, one of the cameras captured the unexpected: footage of a basking shark feeding near the surface before taking a sudden, hard hit against the hull of a boat.
The footage also shows the aftermath of the encounter, including a large scratch drawn on the shark’s back, near the dorsal fin, and some blue anti-fouling paint – a type of coating used on the bottom of boats to prevent barnacles from accumulating – which ruined the animal’s mottled skin.
Maritime traffic and threatened species
Researchers have long known that boats and other types of marine traffic can pose a threat to sea creatures.
While the problem is fairly well documented for whales, there is less data to indicate how serious the problem is for sharks.
But the video and study results resulting from the incident are timely for the shark research community, noted Dr. Christopher Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach. In his work studying sharks of all types near Southern California, he said about 1 in 10 he encounters shows signs of a dangerous encounter with a vessel.
Basking sharks, which are more susceptible to attacks from boats due to their habit of feeding at the surface, are often seen with ink or scars on their fins or backs — likely marks from run-ins with boat propellers and ship hulls, he said. McInturf. .
While it can sometimes be difficult to tell whether the markings are the result of accidents or whether the sharks are just brushing against parked vehicles, the researchers’ video provides clear evidence: This basking shark had a sudden and unexpected collision with a moving boat. .
The footage also shows the shark quickly escaping into the depths of the ocean. The animal stayed there, barely moving, until the camera stopped recording about 7 and a half hours later. The device, McInturf noted, which includes the camera and a fitness tracker-like instrument that records the shark’s movement, was designed to stop data collection and release the shark so researchers could retrieve the data.
It’s virtually impossible to tell whether the shark survived after the tracking device stopped collecting data, McInturf added, although she points out that — even if the shark is alive — the injuries can leave lasting harmful effects.
Protecting basking sharks
McInturf emphasized that Ireland – and the UK – have already taken significant action to help protect endangered basking sharks.
In fact, the shark was also hit by a boat that was in waters that Ireland had recently designated as national marine park.
There are, however, no applicable rules associated with the park still. And that’s something McInturf hopes will change as more policymakers and mariners recognize the importance of establishing sustainable harmony between maritime traffic and embattled wildlife.
But McInturf said he doesn’t intend to assign blame.
“Something I think about a lot is the fact that these basking sharks are really hard to see when they’re not at the surface,” McInturf said, emphasizing that these incidents likely occur by accident. “I’m not trying to villainize the vessel.”
Lowe added that even where regulations exist, they can be difficult to enforce. But he sees value in getting the information out to boaters, hoping they will slow down and be careful around sea creatures of their own volition.
After all, boats can also be seriously damaged by an encounter with a shark.
“I think the first step is education – just educating boaters,” Lowe said.
He added that while it’s encouraging to see some shark species begin to stabilize or recover from steep population losses, he can’t help but wonder how much faster they would recover if boat collisions weren’t a threat.
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