A pair of basking sharks off Malin Head in County Donegal. Credit: Emmett Johnston
Ireland's waters continue to provide an important seasonal refuge for the endangered basking shark, according to a new study.
Drawing on almost 50 years of basking shark sightings around the Irish coast, researchers identified several long-standing hotspots where the world's second-largest fish returns year after year, including waters around the Blasket Islands in County Kerry, the south coast of County Cork, and the Inishowen Peninsula and Malin Head in County Donegal.
Published in the journal Endangered Species Research, the research analyzed 2,718 basking shark sightings recorded between 1978 and 2024 to investigate how the species uses Irish waters and the environmental conditions that influence its seasonal movements.
The international study, involving researchers from University College Dublin and the Irish Basking Shark Group, found that basking sharks return to Irish waters predictably each year, with sightings peaking during the spring and summer months, likely reflecting seasonal peaks in the plankton they feed on.
