Record number of basking sharks seen off Cornwall

03/06/2006 00:00:00 At this time of year the watchers would expect to see a few Basking sharks off Cornwall before they leave for warmer climes in October. However later than usual plankton blooms, probably caused by the recent good weather, has led to some spectacular sightings in the last week or so off Cornwall.

The plankton have attracted large numbers of bait fish, which in turn have attracted large numbers of porpoises, gannets, Rissos and Bottlenose dolphins and even some Minke whales. However the most noticeable wildlife has been the large numbers of Basking sharks. According to Raymond Dennis, a founder member of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the Marine Conservation Society, it is believed that the highest number of Basking sharks seen on one day previously was around 300, off the Lizard in late June back in 1998. However Martin Elliott, who is involved in counting autumn migrant birds, went out on a shark watch trip with Elemental Tours of Penzance on Tuesday 4th September and saw some 30 sharks in just 2 hours. The following day he started watching from his flat window, and counted 128 sharks before lunch. He headed out to the cliffs overlooking Sennan Cove in the afternoon, and counted an extraordinary 460 Basking sharks within 2 miles of the shore.