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Major shark survey underway
04.04.11
by Caoimhinn Barr, Inishowen Independent
Up to one thousand sharks as big as Lough Swilly
buses will circle the waters of Inishowen in the
next few months but wildlife ranger Emmett Johnston
said the public have no cause for alarm.
A major new six-month survey, which got underway on
Friday, is expected to confirm Inishowen as the
basking shark capital of the world with more than
ten per cent of the planet’s population resident
here every summer.
And while the residents of Amity certainly didn’t
welcome the arrival of Jaws in the 1975 Speilberg
classic, the Inishowen sharks are expected to
trigger an unexpected boost to tourism here.
Four of the huge beasts, which have mouths as big as
jet engines, were spotted off the coast of Malin
Head by local fishermen on Tuesday. Hundreds more
will arrive in the next month.
Expert Emmett Johnston, who is heading up the
ambitious marine audit, has already tagged more than
250 basking sharks. He said the mammoth 30ft
slow-moving creatures could attract thousands of
visitors to Inishowen.
“Our survey will study the locations where basking
sharks are most often spotted. It will also look at
what time of day and weather conditions they favour
before coming to surface. This will help local boat
operators to take tours out to see the sharks,” he
said. |
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This basking shark was spotted in
Lough Foyle just off Moville shore in June 2010. |
Johnston confirmed that
the giant fish pose little danger to humans.
“They are very docile big sharks with no teeth. They
are not really a threat but people should not try to
provoke them,” he said.
The Inishowen wildlife chief is urging the public to
help with the shark spotting project from April
until September.
“We have developed a prototype tag which is designed
to break off each shark before washing up on the
beach. If anyone finds one of these tags they should
contact me so we can monitor the places where sharks
have been,” he said.
If you spot a shark or a special tag contact Emmett
on 0872867055. |
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