Basking Sharks reveal their secrets

13th August 2012

Basking Sharks being tracked by satellite in Scottish waters have begun to reveal some secrets. The last of twenty sharks was tagged last week by scientists from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the University of Exeter, as part of a project to find out more about their life-cycle. The results of the project will help inform decisions about Marine Protected Areas and the future management of Scotland’s marine environment. The tags, which allow the public to track the movements of eight of the sharks online, show that in the last three or four weeks many have stayed around the Inner Hebrides where they were tagged, while one has made its way southeast to Colonsay and Jura and two have headed west to the open sea beyond the Outer Hebrides. To track the Basking Sharks online, go to http://www.wildlifetracking.org/?project_id=753. Incidentally one of the sharks has been called 'Elgol' - the image shown is of a basking shark by Stuart MacKinnon of Misty Isle Boat Trips out of Elgol.

THE BOOK

"A glorious little gem"

AMAZON

"A book such as this has to look backwards and the author does so succinctly, looking at the work of several of the pioneering naturalists before picking out the publications of JA Harvie-Brown and the Rev. Hugh Macpherson. I know this book fills a real gap in the information available for the Isle of Skye and it will surely sell well at local bookshops."

Andrew Currie Miscellany West Highland Free Press

"A total of 238 species have been recorded, with 14 of those 'red listed' as of high conservation concern ... another innovation has been the inclusion of Gaelic names for some birds. While this is not uncommon in a few other books, the addition of some regional Gaelic names is very unusual and very welcome."

Ray Collier Country Diary 'Up in the Skye' The Guardian

"Illustrated with beautiful photographs of current birdlife on the island, the publication also features sketches by Jean Thomas of The Little Gallery, Portnalong, stimulating the reader's interest further and allowing them to identify species they encounter on Skye."

The Hebridean