Recreational boaters have been observed ramming and harassing the animals while they bask at the surface. PSRF has been working for the past 5 years to help develop legislation to assist in protecting this unique and interesting animal from over fishing and harassment. Moreover, there are organizations in the United Kingdom working to put the basking shark on the IUCN endangered species list, in order to help protect it from over fishing in the North Atlantic. We hope that with additional protections, we will see an increase in the numbers of these magnificent animals so that we will be better able to answer the many questions surrounding them. A basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus cruises the waters of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Basking sharks are the world's second largest known species of shark.
Once abundant in the Monterey Bay there is a growing concern that this amazing species of shark has been negatively impacted by the harpoon fishery that crashed in the early 1950's as well as the ever-increasing pressures of human encroachment. Note that the shark is closely following another basker in a nose to tail formation. Sometimes several basking sharks will form up in this position. The significance of this behavior is the source of much speculation. These gills have rigid arches, which have stiff gill-rakers that function much like whale baleen.