News Digest - September Our selection of top shark stories, highlighting the latest news and discoveries from around the world... Macquarie Harbour last refuge for Maugean Skate, DNA survey finds 7th September The endangered Maugean skate is a unique creature that has only been recorded in Macquarie and Bathurst Harbours in Tasmania, but new research reveals it now only survives in Macquarie Harbour. Study reveals basking sharks are 'speed dating' off Co Clare coast 9th September Rarely observed circling formations of basking sharks in Irish waters have been explained as 'speed dating' displays in a new study. Research by marine biologists from the UK's Marine Biological Association (MBA) and the Irish Basking Shark Group reveals that the circles of basking sharks seen in recent years off the Co Clare coast are animals engaged in courtship behaviour, the first place in the world where this has been verified. Greenland Shark Granted Historic International Protection 23rd September The mysterious Greenland shark – thought to have the longest lifespan of any vertebrate – was granted new, historic protections by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) on the final day of its annual meeting. The US and Canada, with support from the UK and the EU, proposed and secured a science-based ban on retaining the species from international waters. Manage Cookie Preferences