Reflecting on 2025: A Landmark Year for the Irish Basking Shark Group

2025 was a busy year for the Irish Basking Shark Group! The group hosted the first International Conference on Basking Sharks since 2009, as well as an Ocean Literacy Day on Achill Island. We also contributed to important policy by identifying Important Shark and Ray Areas for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, as well as submitting a proposal to the upcoming international Convention on Migratory Species meeting in March. The sharks were busy too, as demonstrated by hundreds of sightings all around the coast of Ireland. Thank you to those who reported them to us! Keep reading to learn more about our 2025 activities in detail. 

Conference attendees with a life size model of a basking shark

International Conference on Basking Sharks 

One of our biggest achievements of the year was hosting the International Conference on Basking Sharks, held in Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Galway from the 27th of August to the 31st. Co-sponsored by National Parks and Wildlife Service, the event brought together the global basking shark community together for the first time since 2009. Researchers, policymakers, and shark enthusiastics dedicated  several days to discussion, learning and collaboration. 

The conference welcomed 130 in person attendees representing 10 countries, as well as 23 attendees virtually.  Across Friday and Saturday, participants had the opportunity to attend 35 basking shark related presentations, alongside 7 themed sessions and 3 workshops. Together, these sessions covered a wide range of topics, including research, conservation, policy and public engagement. 

The response from the conference attendees was positive, with much appreciation for the displays of basking shark art and history throughout the presentations and the conference venue. The conference was a demonstration of the growing worldwide momentum within the basking shark research and conservation community.  It both reinforced the importance of international collaboration and set the stage for future international conservation efforts.

You can see highlights from the conference and hear from experts here:

Ocean Literacy Day

The conference ended with an Ocean Literacy Day on Achill Island, where attendees and members of the public engaged in numerous activities. They heard from Brian McNeil, the last basking shark fisherman in Ireland. Kids and adult alike experienced a draw along with artist Gerry Daly, and viewed art by Tom Meskal. Finally, Swimming Head Productions showed their feature film, The Secrets of the Basking Shark. Conference attendees also received a tour of the island with Achill Island Seascapes and Outdoor Achill, and ended the day with an immersive musical performance from The Achill Sound. 

"Ocean Literacy Day was one of the most special highlights: “An tsaile san fhuil!” was a phrase introduced by the Irish Ocean Literacy Network in the second talk of the day. It means salt in the blood in Irish. This stuck with me throughout the day and many days after. As an island nation we are intrinsically linked to the sea. Whether we are conscious of it or not. Being on Achill it is hard not to feel the deep connection between islander and the sea. As it shapes our landscape it also shapes who we are. After a weekend of incredible scientific talks, this talk was a great way to bring us all back to the “why”, what does ocean conservation mean to us?"

You can read more about the magical experience of Ocean Literacy Day here

Sightings Summary

Another year of the basking sharks returning to the coastlines of Ireland, and what a spectacular year it was!

A total of 187 basking shark sightings were reported this year. The first sighting was recorded on the 13th of March at the Blasket Islands in County Kerry. Loop Head, Co. Clare recorded the highest level of reported breaching activity and the greatest number of sharks recorded in one sighting was 125 individuals at Bridges of Ross, Co. Clare on 11th August 2025. 

Though sightings occurred as usual throughout the spring, this year it was during the month of August when it all began to kick off. There were large numbers of toruses and breaching events recorded off the coast of Loop Head. Both behaviours are hypothesised to be related to courtship behaviours. Specifically, a torus is a 3D circular group swimming behaviour that has been described and documented off the west coast of Ireland. Torus behaviour has been likened to “speed dating” for basking sharks. Similarly, breaching behaviours have been linked with potential courtship or communication behaviour, although other theories suggest that basking sharks sharks breach to shed ectoparasites.

Thank you to all who contributed your sightings this year!  As always, we also thank our collaborators at the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group for compiling all sightings data. We are very excited to say that these sightings are part of a larger effort by our group to learn more about the global importance of coastal Irish waters to basking sharks…and we plan to share these findings very soon in 2026! In the meantime, if you are out on the coast or using Irish waters please remember to always follow our code of conduct available on our website for download: https://www.baskingshark.ie/downloads. 

Ireland Site for Several Important Shark and Ray Areas:

Important Shark and Ray Areas in Ireland

We are delighted to have contributed to this compendium of Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) in the European Atlantic, lending more evidence to the importance of Irish waters, not just for our focus species the basking shark, but numerous other elasmobranchs such as blue sharks, porbeagles, tope and angel sharks.

ISRA criteria were designed to consider the complex behaviors, ecology, and biological needs of sharks including species’ vulnerability, range restriction, key life-history activities, distinctiveness, and diversity. The IBSG are delighted to have contributed towards the identification of Achill Island, An Mhuir Cheilteach, Blasket Islands, Malin Head and Lough Swilly, and the West Coast Of Clare as Important Shark and Ray Areas for Basking Sharks.

ISRAs, like other area-based tools, have the potential to be used to inform management and conservation decisions in the future and are an important step in ensuring an ecosystem-based approach to marine spatial planning.

This work also highlights how many species we are yet to study and understand in our waters, and the urgent need to include this collected knowledge into the appropriate protection and management of our seas and biodiversity, as discussed by Nicholas Payne and Pádraic Fogarty in this RTE Prime Time article.

A big thanks to the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group (SSG) ISRA Team for all their work and coordination!

Convention on Migratory Species

With the Marine Research and Conservation Foundation, we have submitted a Concerted Action (CA) to the Convention on Migratory Species, to be decided on in March 2026. A Concerted Action  is a cooperative international conservation effort under the Convention on Migratory Species designed to improve the conservation status of a specific migratory species or taxonomic group that requires collective action across its range states. Our CA was introduced at the Scientific Council this December and recommended for adoption at the Conference of Parties in March. 

Athbhliain Faoi Mhaise Duit!

As we start the new year, IBSG will continue to focus on research, collaboration, and conservation, building on the strong foundations laid in 2025. We look forward to sharing further updates and continuing this work together.

Thank you for your continued support.

--The Irish Basking Shark Group