{"id":40436,"date":"2024-07-24T11:03:44","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T09:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/6edc6c9f-719a-4f54-bdc7-c71f1bc9f77d"},"modified":"2024-07-24T12:27:30","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T10:27:30","slug":"23-foot-shark-hit-by-a-boat-off-the-irish-coast","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/23-foot-shark-hit-by-a-boat-off-the-irish-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"23-foot shark hit by a boat\u00a0off the Irish coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s the first-ever direct observation of a ship strike on any marine megafauna, say the scientists who filmed the basking shark incident. <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 09:03 AM<\/p>

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Just hours after tagging a basking shark<\/a> in Ireland,\u00a0researchers\u00a0were shocked to capture\u00a0footage of the 23-foot (seven-metre) female being hit by a boat, causing her to stop feeding and dive down to the seafloor.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

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

Because the tag was pre-programmed to pop off after several hours, they don’t know if she’s OK.\u00a0<\/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<\/a>, an assistant professor at Trinity College Dublin\u2019s School of Natural Sciences.\u00a0<\/p>

Footage captures the moment the basking shark is struck by a boat and the aftermath of the strike, including its rapid descent to deeper water. Credit: Oregon State University<\/figcaption><\/figure>
After the collision, the basking shark can be seen resting on the seafloor. Credit: Oregon State University<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Blasket Islands, south-west Ireland: the orange square, at right, depicts where a 7-meter basking shark was tagged by researchers. The blue line shows the shark’s route while feeding while it was tagged. The red diamond marks where the shark was struck by a 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. Credit: Big Fish Lab, Oregon State University<\/figcaption><\/figure>

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