Download or read book The Basking Shark in Scotland written by Denis Fairfax and published by Dundurn. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Basking Shark in Scotland is based on archival sources, early historical works and interviews with surviving shark hunters. This 'gentle giant' of the seas, the largest fish in Scottish waters, is nowadays often in the news as conservationists press for its legal protection. Denis Fairfax provides a full history of the fishery for the shark, its anatomy and its biology. The basking shark's scientific history is treated extensively, including the Loch Ranza specimen featured by Thomas Pennant in his British Zoology. Shark incidents are recounted, including the famous Carradale incident of 1937 when an encounter with a basking shark led to the drowning of three people.