SUBMON
  • Element del menú
    • About us
      • Mission, vision y values
      • Our team
      • Transparency
    • Activity
      • Conservation and marine biodiversity
      • Environmental education and training workshops
      • Restoration, improvement and mitigation of impact on species of marine ecosystems projects
      • Sustainable activities for marine environment
    • Collaborate
      • Participate in our projects
      • Companies
    • Shop
    • News
    • Contact
    • Element del menú
  • en
    • ca
    • es
    • en
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • ca
  • es
  • en
  • DONATIONS
SUBMON
  • About us
    • Mission, vision y values
    • Our team
    • Transparency
  • Activity
    • Conservation and marine biodiversity
    • Environmental education and training workshops
    • Restoration, improvement and mitigation of impact on species of marine ecosystems projects
    • Sustainable activities for marine environment
  • Collaborate
    • Participate in our projects
    • Companies
  • Shop
  • News
  • Contact
  • Element del menú
Mitigation of environmental impact

Basking sharks: new visitors or unknown neighbours?

May 1, 2020
By Susana Díez
2 Comments
1016 Views
Article by Susana Díez

We are still in confinement and there is a lot of news about fauna that reaches the media. The great protagonist of these days is, without a doubt, the basking shark. This shark is a protected species and listed as endangered in the Mediterranean. It can reach 8 meters and 4 tons, although it is a peaceful and planktophagous species. It feeds on plankton that spreads in areas of high primary productivity. Their feeding areas coincide, in many cases, with fishing grounds of fishing interest, where one of the most prized seafood is extracted, the shrimp. They are bottoms between 200 and 400 m deep that, depending on the slope of the coastal seabed, are more or less close to the coast.

Seeing in the news that a basking shark has been sighted seems to us an unusual event, but actually it is more common than we imagine. We only have to talk to sea people –like the fishermen who work daily on our coasts – to surprise us when we learn of the enormous local biodiversity that exists and to which we usually turn our backs.

We take advantage of this news on the blog to take a look back thanks to the memories of one of them. On the Catalan coast, more than 45 years ago, there was no confinement like this caused by COVID-19, so that only the relatives and friends of fishermen knew of the presence of this great shark.

We move virtually to the port of Vilanova. There, Jaume Figueras, an artisanal fisherman who has been working at sea for 47 years, explains the experiences of his father, who dedicated himself to trawling between 1955 and 1975, approximately:

CC by 4.0

“The ship dragged every day between Gavà and Calafell, on shrimp beds 150-200 fathoms and 7-10 miles from the coast. In spring, even in summer, in the Torredembarra area it was quite common to see some mulà; its size was impressive, about 8 meters. Interestingly, before the sighting numerous dolphins used to be seen swimming forward. Sometimes, it coincided with the arrival of the ship at the fishing ground, at 8 in the morning; other times when they were leaving, at 3 in the afternoon. They used to see one or two, it was the most frequent. The animal was quite indifferent to them and swam in the vicinity of the ship. These encounters were so common that there were even days when the fishermen forgot to tell the family about it.”

I interrupt Jaume for a moment to ask him if he knows the recent news (from February 20, 2020) about a trawler that accidentally caught a basking shark in Tarragona. Of course, he had heard about it. Returning to the story, I want to know if he recalls a similar case at that time. Not with his father’s boat, but there was a strange case, since it was “a little water”. This is how Jaume explains it: “It was around 1975. A basking shark was accidentally caught on lobster bottoms in a trammel, at 7 miles and 80 fathoms deep. They say it weighed about 700 kg. He died entangled in the net”.

In a globalized world, where everything connects with everything, a cooperative relationship has finally been established between scientists and citizens. One hundred eyes see more than two, and progress has been made in species distribution that would be very expensive for research groups alone. More specifically on the basking shark, a study by the ICM (Institut de Ciències del Mar) on sightings of marine fauna before and after COVID-19 will be published shortly. Of course, we will share the link, so stay tuned to the blog!

  • email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin

Previous Story
Curiosities of the elasmobranchs (sharks and rays): reproductive biology
Next Story
Why are dolphins shining at these amazing pictures?

Related Articles

formacion tortuga eurowa

EUROWA-2: First oiled sea turtle response training presented in Greece

April marked the first ever EUROWA training workshop on oiled...

libera extracción

The second edition of the project "Un mar sin basuraleza" has concluded

Throughout the year 2021, we carried out the second edition...

Leave your comment Cancel Reply

(will not be shared)

Join our newsletter

Categories

  • Conservation
  • Environmental education and awareness
  • Mitigation of environmental impact
  • Sustainable development
  • Uncategorized

Popular posts

  • Seals, dolphins and Natura2000: Collaboration with Ionian Dolphin Project
  • The Wildsea Atlantic Ocean Heritage Route: a Dive into Adventure
  • We started the SCARS Project in the waters of the Catalan submarine canyons and the Mediterranean Cetacean Migration Corridor
  • What a successful European Maritime Day!
  • JPI Oceans agenda includes underwater noise and aims to support Marine Strategic Framework Directive on the implementation of Descriptor 11
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Legal notice

© SUBMON
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

SUBMON complies fully with the current legislation for the protection of personal data, and the requirement for confidentiality for content management services.

SUBMON has adopted the necessary technical measures to ensure the required level of security, according to the nature and circumstances of the personal data being processed, in order to avoid its alteration, loss, unauthorised access or processing, as far as possible and according to the techniques employed.

Where personal data is required when filling in a form, the client or user will be informed of the recipient and purpose of the information, the identity and address of the individual or company responsible for the file and the right of the user to access, rectify, cancel or object to the processing of their data. Personal data will only be processed and/or released for the purpose expressed, and then only with the permission of the user or client.

In order to always keep our database up to date and to ensure that it does not contain errors, we request that our clients and users inform us as soon as possible of any modification or rectification to their personal data which may be necessary.

Some of the pages of the SUBMON site contain cookies, which are small data files generated in the computer of the user or client which enable the system to remember the language and site, as well as other characteristics and navigation preferences chosen by the user during their first visit. These cookies are not invasive, nor do they carry virus or personal data, and their only function is to personalise navigation according to the choices made previously by the user. If you wish, you can deactivate and/or eliminate cookies by following the instructions which appear in our Security Recommendations .
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
SearchPostsLoginCart
Friday, 1, Jul
Sea turtles… in Alaska?
Wednesday, 8, Jun
Forests of marine animals: the political courage needed to protect them
Thursday, 2, Jun
Sunscreens protect us, but do they harm the marine environment?
Tuesday, 31, May
We finished the EDUCAMARES project with more than 7,100 sensitized students
Friday, 27, May
What a successful European Maritime Day!
Thursday, 12, May
Registration and abstract submission open for Sharks International 2022

Welcome back,