Fishermen in Catalonia, located in the northeast of Spain, recently caught a massive shark measuring 22 feet (approximately 6.7 meters) in length. As speculation swirled around the catch, the truth was revealed: the shark was an endangered species known as the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus).
According to reports from The Sun, the shark had become entangled in a fishing net and struggled to escape, only to become more tightly trapped. It died shortly after being caught, drawing a large crowd of onlookers. Upon realizing that the creature was not an ordinary shark, the fishermen immediately alerted the local marine conservation organization CRAM and transported the shark to Port de la Selva, a coastal town about two hours northeast of Barcelona.
The fisherman later explained that the capture was unintentional. Experts from CRAM examined the shark and confirmed it was a female basking shark. They collected samples from the animal to further study its condition and verified that the fishermen had not violated any regulations.
The basking shark is a filter-feeding species that can weigh up to 6 tons and grow up to 12 meters long, making it one of the largest fish on Earth, second only to the whale shark. It is the largest fish species in the Mediterranean Sea. Historically, sailors often mistook basking sharks for sea monsters. Despite their enormous size, they are gentle giants that feed by swimming with their huge mouths open to scoop up plankton.
Unfortunately, basking sharks face severe threats due to human activities such as overfishing and accidental entanglement in fishing nets. Their slow reproductive rate and sluggish movement exacerbate their vulnerability, leading to a sharp decline in their population. Consequently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the basking shark as an endangered species.
