Basking Sharks: Satellite Tags Reveal Key Habitats For Conservation

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The Sea of the Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland may be an important feeding area and migratory corridor for basking sharks, a recent three-year satellite tagging project revealed. During the summers of 2012, 2013 and 2014 nearly 61 basking sharks were tagged by researchers from the University of Exeter and the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) as part of the Basking Shark Satellite Tagging Project. Researchers found the sharks regularly returned to the Sea of the Hebrides and spent most of their summer in this area, according to a new release. Basking sharks are the world's second biggest fish and can grow up to 36 feet in length and weigh up to seven tons. Since the sharks don't have teeth, they feed on microscopic plankton by scooping them up in their remarkably large mouths. The sharks were fitted with satellite tags near the islands of Hyskier, Coll and Tiree, which are surrounded by waters rich with plankton for feeding on. Read the full article at Nature World News