I’ve seen shark meat or other shark products for sale. What can I do? Expand Seeing a shark for sale can often be a very emotive experience. But bear in mind it's not always illegal to display and sell shark products. TACs and quotas are in place for some species to limit catch levels while others have no management whatsoever and can be caught in unlimited numbers. Although it's still legal to sell many of these species, it's not sustainable to catch and sell unmanaged species. This forms the basis of the No Limits? Campaign.In the UK, Basking Sharks, Angelsharks, White Skate, the Common Skate complex and Porbeagle are all Prohibited Species under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). But there are some exceptions. International trade of products from species that are listed on CITES Appendix I is forbidden and on Appendix II is restricted.If you see a shark product for sale and feel comfortable doing so, politely speak with the staff and find out if they have information on the provenance. If it’s meat for sale they should know the species and sea area it was caught from. If it’s a curios item then they should know where was it sourced. By choosing not to buy the product and explaining why, you reinforce the message to retailers that there’s no market for vulnerable species.
Does the Shark Trust give talks? Expand We love meeting fellow shark enthusiasts and try to attend as many talks, outreach and educational events as possible. If you’d like us to attend an event or give a talk then please get in touch. We’re a small team based in Plymouth (UK), so unfortunately we can’t make every event but we’ll always try our best!
Do you offer internships & work experience? Expand From time to time we offer in-house placements, but these are limited due to staff capacity and desk space. We also attend lots of outreach events. These can be hard work to plan, organise, and attend, so we appreciate any help. This could be for you if you enjoy talking to people and want to gain experience educating the public about sharks.► Click Here to find out more about our volunteering opportunities.
When & where are the best places to spot Basking Sharks in the UK? Expand Basking Shark season usually runs from May til late October. But sharks are anything but predictable! Hotspots include the southwest, the Isle of Man, the west coast of Scotland and the north of Ireland.► If you're thinking of taking a boat tour we recommend a WiSe accredited company. You can find out more at www.wisescheme.org.Basking Sharks are vulnerable to disturbance. But the WiSe scheme provides training and accreditation for operators. So, they know how best to view and interact with large marine wildlife. Ensuring a positive experience for both you and the shark. ► Remember to record your sightings on our Shark Database
Can I order some leaflets? Expand We're in the process of rebranding our materials, so we don't currently have any printed leaflets in stock. To reduce our carbon footprint we're also in the process of creating a range of digital leaflets, as well as an interactive display panel for aquariums, which we'll be launching soon. Please keep an eye on our website for updates. ► Click Here to download leaflets and posters from our Resources page