ONE of the world’s second largest fish has been filmed swimming along the Yorkshire coastline at Flamborough - one in just a handful of sightings ever recorded in the North Sea.
Local fishermen Richard Emmerson and Russ Conlon recorded the video of the basking shark whilst sailing along the coast yesterday.
At 30 feet long and weighing seven tonnes, the mysterious ocean giants are Britain’s largest animals but are not aggressive and feed entirely on plankton, which they filter through their huge open mouths.
Richard said: “In the 38 years we’ve been out fishing and running boat trips along the Flamborough coast, this is the first time we’ve ever seen a basking shark."
Tom Marshall, from the Yorkshire Nature Triangle, a destination marketing initiative which promotes the wildlife-watching assets of East Yorkshire, said: “There have only been a handful of sightings of basking sharks in the North Sea over recent years and it really is special to see one so close to the Yorkshire coast."
The video of the basking shark can be viewed on the North Landing Boat Tours and Fishing Trips Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/North-Landing-Boat-Tours-and-Fishing-Trips.
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