Boat owners are being urged to slow down off the coast of Cornwall to prevent injuries to basking sharks.
Boat owners are being urged to slow down off the coast of Cornwall to prevent injuries to basking sharks. Dr Ruth Leaney, a biologist at Exeter University, said that boats travelling at speed can easily collide with feeding sharks without even seeing them.
Speed restrictions should be introduced in some areas frequented by the species, she said, a view supported by some charter operators. The Marine Conservation Society, however, says that new restrictions aren’t needed, but that existing laws should be enforced.
“Some people are ignoring the law,” said a spokesman, “anyone witnessing boats deliberately approaching sharks too closely with their engines running should report the incident to the police.”
