Liabhán chor gréine, or the Great Fish of the Sun, more prosaically known as basking sharks, occupy Irish territorial waters and its EEZ throughout the year. The global population of breeding individuals has been estimated at approximately 8,000-10,000 worldwide, a high proportion of which may at times be present in Irish waters.

Basking sharks are protected in UK, including Northern Irish, waters and tracking studies have shown great connectivity between these territorial waters. The Irish Basking Shark Group (IBSG) argue that Ireland must provide the same level of protection in order to protect the migratory routes of this highly mobile marine species.

A bill has now been proposed to the Irish parliament to amend its 1976 Wildlife Act to include the basking shark and thus provide legal protection to the shark in Irish territorial waters. It was proposed by the member of parliament for Wicklow, a former marine biologist, who worked with the IBSG to find the right mechanism to propose protected status.  Read more here and click here for the IBSG’s petition.