Dataset

Basking Shark Project - global citizen science observations of Cetorhinus maximus

OBIS UK MeasurementOrFact Open in mapper Explore occurrences

This dataset details approved records from the Shark Trust's Basking Shark Project. This dataset is in part comprised of records from the Marine Conservation Society's Basking Shark Watch (1986-2018), and data provided from the Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch.

Comprised of citizen science observations, records of Basking Sharks (sighted from land or at sea) from around the world have been complied to help better understand this species. Data comes mostly from ad-hoc records, with some observations recorded from more structured surveys and data uploads from partner organisations.

Citation
Allen H, Gordon C (2026). Basking Shark Project - global citizen science observations of Cetorhinus maximus. Version 1.1. Shark Trust. Samplingevent dataset. https://www.dassh.ac.uk/ipt/resource?r=st_baskingsharkproject&v=1.1
Published
April 30, 2026 at 08:50
First registration
April 30, 2026 at 08:59
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License
URL
https://www.dassh.ac.uk/ipt/resource?r=st_baskingsharkproject
Archive
https://www.dassh.ac.uk/ipt/archive.do?r=st_baskingsharkproject

Contacts

Harriet Allen
Shark Trust

Cat Gordon
Shark Trust

17,797
total submitted occurrences
17,797
accepted occurrences
23,234
measurements and facts
1
taxa
1
species

Taxa

Missing and invalid fields

Field Missing Invalid
coordinateUncertaintyInMeters 17,797
100.0%
maximumDepthInMeters 17,797
100.0%
minimumDepthInMeters 17,797
100.0%

Quality flags

The OBIS data quality flags are documented at https://github.com/iobis/obis-qc.

Flag Dropped Records
NO_DEPTH 17,797
100.0%
ON_LAND 1,966
11.0%

Measurement types

DNA derived data