Movements and growth of a female basking shark re-sighted after a three year period

Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) movement patterns and growth rates over annual cycles remain entirely unknown. Here the re-sighting of a female ide ntified by a highly distinctive first dorsal fin, after a 3.1 year period i s described. Our results show this individual foraged at the surface in coa stal areas off south-west England in at least two of four summer seasons an d increased in total length by 2.4 m over this period. The growth increment observed was similar to that predicted from the growth model for this spec ies.