{"id":38706,"date":"2024-07-24T15:17:55","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T13:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/c834a1b4-65a4-4c14-88b2-e023d1bc4ab6"},"modified":"2024-07-24T16:26:40","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T14:26:40","slug":"huge-23-foot-shark-struck-by-boat-off-the-west-coast-of-county-kerry","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/huge-23-foot-shark-struck-by-boat-off-the-west-coast-of-county-kerry\/","title":{"rendered":"Huge 23-foot shark struck by boat off the west coast of County Kerry"},"content":{"rendered":"

The collision happened in the waters around the Dingle Peninsula, south-west Ireland. <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 13:17 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Researchers\u00a0were shocked to capture\u00a0a recording of a 23-foot-long basking shark<\/a> being hit by a boat just hours after it was tagged with a tracking device and camera off the south-west coast of Ireland<\/strong>. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>

The collision caused the female shark to stop feeding and dive down to the seafloor, but because the tag was pre-programmed to fall off after several hours, they don’t know what happened to her after that.\u00a0<\/p>

Researchers say the collision highlights just how vulnerable basking sharks are to boat strikes. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cThis is the first ever direct observation of a ship strike on any marine megafauna<\/a> that we\u2019re aware of,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0Taylor Chapple, a shark researcher at Oregon State University\u2019s Hatfield Marine Science Centre<\/a>.<\/p>

\u201cThe fact that a shark we fitted our \u2018Fitbit\u2019 to was struck in this area within a few hours underlines just how vulnerable these animals are to boats and highlights the need for greater education in how to mitigate against such strikes,\u201d said co-author\u00a0Nicholas Payne, an assistant professor at Trinity College Dublin\u2019s School of Natural Sciences.\u00a0<\/p>

Watch: Basking shark boat strike. Credit: Oregon State University<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The map below shows the basking shark’s journey after it was tagged. The orange square, at right, depicts where the basking shark was tagged; the blue line shows the shark’s route while feeding with the tag attached; the red diamond marks where the shark was struck by the boat; the yellow line marks the shark’s travel after the strike. The orange box on the left shows where the tag was released from the animal.<\/p>

\"Basking
Map showing the basking shark’s journey after it was tagged. Credit: Big Fish Lab, Oregon State University<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Words: Melissa Hobson<\/em><\/p>

More wildlife stories<\/strong><\/p>