iStockphoto / Rebecca-Belleni-Photography
Researchers from Oregon State captured what is believed to be the first-ever footage showing a shark hit by a boat.
During an expedition in April off the coast of Ireland, the team tagged a basking shark with a tracker which they liken to a ‘Fitbit’ for sharks to record activity. Then, just hours after being tagged, the camera on the tracker recorded the shark being hit by a boat.
Shark researcher Taylor Chapple at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center said in a press release “this is the first ever direct observation of a ship strike on any marine megafauna that we’re aware of. The shark was struck while feeding on the surface of the water and it immediately swam to the seafloor into deeper, offshore waters, a stark contrast to its behavior prior to the strike.”
In the video, the boat hits the shark around the 2:40 mark:
Taylor Chapple added “our findings demonstrate the risk and impact of vessel strikes and the need for measures to reduce this risk.”
The shark that was struck was a female basking shark estimated at around 7 meters long, or just under 23 feet in length. And according to announcement from Oregon State, it is unknown if the shark ever recovered from the boat strike but data on the monitor determined the shark stopped feeding around seven hours after being hit by the boat and the monitor never recorded normal behavior after that point.
Basking sharks are known to live up to 50 years in the wild and can grow up to 10 meters (32+ feet). They are classified as a ‘threatened’ species currently but pose no threat to humans as they are filter feeders similar to paddlefish.