WE’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BEACH!
Marinas see predators as boat traffic remains low
THE British coast is seeing an invasion of sharks as a result of reduced marine traffic during lockdown, experts say.
There have been multiple sightings of both basking and porbeagle species in recent weeks, with people spotting them closer to the shore than usual.
Some of them have even ended up in marinas.
Marine explorer Rupert Kirkwood said he saw five basking sharks while on a kayak trip off the coast of Cornwall at the weekend.
Footage also showed sharks in two different marinas in Plymouth, Devon, last week.
Prof David Sims, from the University of Southampton, said the recent spike in sightings was likely due to the lack of marine traffic because of lockdown restrictions.
Hunt
He said: “Porbeagles large or small are rarely seen in marinas. They do hunt fish in shallow waters so it is possible [they were] following fish schools.
“From March to July in Europe, large pelagic sharks such as blue sharks were seen venturing into very shallow water and in harbours. “This has been put down to ‘quieter’ seas, as fewer passenger, fishing and tourism vessels were operating at that time. “Sharks are sensitive to sound, including ship sounds, so it is possible that if there has been a quieter ‘sound,’ this may have acted to help extend the explorations of a young shark into a Plymouth marina.”
Prof Sims tracked the sharks throughout the year using satellite. He said: “At times a porbeagle was only a few kilometres off of the Cornish coast. Only one shark was tracked into the autumn, when it moved into deep water off the continental shelf, then north towards colder latitudes.” He added: “This was likely part of seasonal movements to other foraging locations.”