大象传媒 Scotland - 大象传媒 Scotland - Shark fin scoop: how tagging basking sharks with cameras is set to reveal their previously unseen behaviour

Shark fin scoop: how tagging basking sharks with cameras is set to reveal their previously unseen behaviour

Very little is known about basking sharks but that’s about to change, thanks to a pioneering team of scientists and some underwater cameras.

The waters south of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides are hugely important for basking sharks, according to a team from the University of Exeter. They believe they're a key breeding ground for the second largest fish in the world — and they’re determined to prove it.

Tagging a basking shark

In a world first, a basking shark is tagged with cameras.

Speaking on Landward Dr Lucy Hawkes explained, “Basking sharks are big animals but they can also dive under the water and stay well out of sight for months and months of the year.

“I guess that’s how they’ve managed to keep this part of their life completely private from us.”

In a world first, Dr Hawkes’ team have attached front and rear facing cameras to sharks’ dorsal fins. However, as was demonstrated when Landward joined the expedition, it is not a straightforward operation.

“There are so many things you have to get right,” said Dr Hawkes. “The shark line up, the boat can’t go too fast, it can’t go too slow, the shark has to stay nice and shallow in the water.”

The team has also used an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) - known as SharkCam - alongside the tagged sharks to monitor their behaviour.

Basking sharks caught on camera in Inner Hebrides

Basking sharks caught on 鈥楽harkCam鈥� in Inner Hebrides

Dr Suz Henderson from Scottish Natural Heritage is keen to see the results of this study.

“The sexual lives of basking sharks — of any sharks — is really very little known about it, and it would just be absolutely fantastic if we could understand the full life cycle.”

Landward will share footage from the tagged sharks’ cameras later in the series.