Basking Shark Report 2023

Basking Shark Report 2022

Basking Shark Report 2020

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Photo-ID Database

Photo-identification is a powerful and non-invasive field technique. Used to study animals in their natural environment.

In the early 2000’s we worked with research groups around the British Isles and the Northeast Atlantic to create a photo-identification database.

Individual Basking Sharks can be identified by their unique fin markings. These can be natural, such as pigmentation marks. Or acquired, such as scars caused by parasites, or injuries from boats and fishing nets. With good quality photographs, individual sharks can be recognised on re-sighting and matched in the photo-ID database. This enables us to find out more about their movements and estimate population size. This is especially important for vulnerable and highly migratory species like the Basking Shark.

Capturing effective photo identification images is challenging. If you do get a high-quality image, these fin-id images can be uploaded along with your sighting. If you get a shot, please include it when you submit your sighting!

To find out more about basking sharks and how you can get involved, see (link to page)