It’s the first-ever direct observation of a ship strike on any marine megafauna, say the scientists who filmed the basking shark incident.
Just hours after tagging a basking shark in Ireland, researchers were shocked to capture footage of the 23-foot (seven-metre) female being hit by a boat, causing her to stop feeding and dive down to the seafloor.
“This is the first ever direct observation of a ship strike on any marine megafauna that we’re aware of,” says Taylor Chapple, a shark researcher at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Centre.
Because the tag was pre-programmed to pop off after several hours, they don’t know if she’s OK.
“The fact that a shark we fitted our ‘Fitbit’ 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,” said co-author Nicholas Payne, an assistant professor at Trinity College Dublin’s School of Natural Sciences.
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