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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Patrick Barkham

Minke whale sightings surge but basking sharks decline, finds Hebrides study

A minke whale swims by the Flannan Isles lighthouse off the Outer Hebrides.
A minke whale swims by the Flannan Isles lighthouse off the Outer Hebrides. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

The highest ever recorded numbers of minke whales and the lowest number of basking sharks were observed in the Hebrides in 2023, according to a report.

The latest findings of the 20-year monitoring programme by the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust suggest a possible association between these two highly mobile and long-lived species. When sighting rates for basking sharks are high, they are low for minke whales, and vice versa.

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