Eyes Search for the Prize
By Larry O'Hanlon

Isle of Man, British Islands, 8/15/00 — It turns out there are no secret tricks to finding basking sharks. First you need calm seas and sunshine, which bring baskers to the surface to feed on plankton. Then you need many sets of eyes to watch for the sharks' tall back and tail fins sticking up out of the water.

Today, we have 20 eyes onboard, but calm seas are scarce. Gray swells run as high as 4 feet and the dark sky looks ominous. The Basking Shark Society’s research vessel, Jasmine — a converted fishing boat — powers through the chop and we scan the sea surface. But hopes aren’t high that we’ll spot a fin sticking out among all the whitecaps.

Among those on board are über-ecotourists Chris and Vicki Agar of Sussex, England. They’ve traveled all over the world to see wildlife in its natural habitat. This makes coming to the nearby Isle of Man to see rare wildlife that much more amazing to them.

"Most people think Britain is full of blackbirds," says Chris. "But this is right in our backyard and it’s one of the biggest animals in the world."

The Agars have persuaded some business associates from Douglas, the city on the other side of the island, to come today. The hope is that they will agree to sponsor Watterson’s research into what are not only big fish but also big mysteries. There is talk of perhaps painting the names and logos of sponsors' businesses on the side of Jasmine. These would be seen when television and film crews worldwide capture rare footage of baskers here.

Watterson tries to support his work by taking tourists out on shark-watching trips. But "funding for research is scarce," he says.

Although basking sharks are found worldwide in coastal areas, there are a few places like the west coast of the Isle of Man where they are more easily found. Here they congregate every summer, providing researchers with an unusual chance to study the amazing animals.

Watterson has made some spectacular discoveries. After vigilantly watching the sharks for 20 years, he was rewarded last year by witnessing a basker courtship and mating for the first time ever. He also witnessed the second basker live birth ever — "live" meaning that baskers, like many other sharks, give birth to live young, much like mammals and unlike other fish that lay eggs.

But there are many questions about the life of basking sharks that remain unanswered. For example, are there distinct migratory routes for the animal? Along with other researchers in the United Kingdom, Watterson uses various tags on the sharks to try and chart the animals' migrations. No one, however, has yet discovered any clear pattern.

But today the seas aren’t yielding much in the way of revelations. Yesterday, says Vicki, the water was calmer and they managed to locate a solitary basker. It lolled about, with its giant mouth wide open to catch and move plankton-laden water through its almost body-girdling gills and gill rakers.

"It was like something out of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," says Vicki Agar. "You could actually see its gape."

I’ll believe it when I see it, and I hope that’s soon.

Tomorrow: Watterson’s Crusade

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