Basking sharks are to be given protection by the Government under the Wildlife Act, Minister for Heritage Malcolm Noonan has announced.
The move follows a long campaign by marine scientists, NGOs and school students for protection of Cetorhinus maximus the world’s second-largest shark and fish – known as Liabhán chor gréine, or the “great fish of the sun”.
The number of breeding individuals has been estimated at approximately 8,000-10,000 worldwide, the majority of which are in the north-east Atlantic.
Noonan said that it would be afforded “protected wild animal” status under the Wildlife Act, and this will be supported by development of a code of conduct for sustainable wildlife tourism.
In an open letter last year appealing to the Government for protection of the basking shark, a group of scientists explained that Irish coastal waters are “one of the few places globally” where basking sharks “regularly and predictably occur on the surface close to shore”.
“This surface swimming behaviour is the root of its deep cultural connections with western Irish coastal and island communities,” the scientists said.
“ Current threats to the survival of these magnificent animals include harassment and disturbance, ship collisions, and entanglement,” they stated.
Basking sharks were hunted by the Irish whaling industry in the early 18th century, including off Achill, Co Mayo where thousands of sharks were caught and processed for their liver oil until the 1970s.
“ It may be a surprise for some to hear that it was legal to fish for the basking shark in Irish waters until 2001 and not prohibited in all EU waters until 2006,” the scientists said.
“ Due to these unsustainable practices the shark is now classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered in the northeast Atlantic,” they stated.
Noonan said that work had been underway in his department for a number of months to progress protections for the basking shark.
“ I’m delighted to be able to announce today that they will be finalised in the near future,” Noonan said.
“ Basking sharks are extraordinary creatures and they’re facing increasing pressures from a range of sources, including disturbance,” he said.
“ This move will confer legal protections on them in the short term and enhance their protection in the longer term through the collaborative development of a Code of Conduct to support best practice in sustainable eco tourism,” he said.
He paid tribute to colleagues Minister for Marine Charlie McConalogue and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Simon Coveney “for their support in progressing this important work.
Noonan also thanked “the many members of the public – particularly the young children – who have been so passionate in calling for basking shark protection”.
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien said that “marine protection is a vital element of the work we do in this department”.
He said that “strong progress is being made in that regard, particularly on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which will form a crucial pillar in ensuring that we have a clean, healthy, diverse and sustainably used marine environment.”
Under Section 23(2)(a) of the Wildlife Act 1976, it is an offence to:
hunt a protected wild animal (unless under permission or licence granted by my Department)
injure a protected wild animal (unless done while hunting in accordance with a licence or exemption cited above), or
wilfully interfere with or destroy the breeding or resting places of a protected wild animal.
The two ministers said the National Parks and Wildlife Service will be engaging with the marine eco-tourism, recreation at sea and wildlife watching industries, as well as environmental NGOs, to develop a code of conduct.
This aims to ensure that “there is strong awareness of and accordance with best practice for operators and the public in observing or encountering marine wildlife such as basking sharks, as well as other species of fish, marine mammals and birds”, they said.
Noonan also indicated his intention to “progress the Programme for Government commitment to review the Wildlife Act”.
This will involve a detailed examination of protections and provisions in the Act, enabling a broader consideration of its effectiveness, he said.
