Basking sharks tend to show up where there are big aggregations of copepods – like Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
Recently, sanctuary researchers placed satellite tags on two sharks in the Santa Barbara Channel. These are the first tags placed on eastern North Pacific basking sharks since 2011, and will help our researchers better understand the habits of these gentle giants.
If you see a basking shark, please provide the date, time, and location of the sighting, as well as any comments, to 858-546-7023 or basking.shark@noaa.gov. Any photos or video would also be appreciated.
(Also, make sure to slow down if you’re boating in areas with basking sharks! They are easily injured and are susceptible to vessel collisions.)
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