DATELINE: 11 September 2002

BASKING SHARKS SLEEPLESS IN NORTH ATLANTIC

Scientists researching the movements of basking sharks have dispelled the myth that they hibernate.
The Marine Biological Association have tagged 20 basking sharks in British waters with satellite transmitters and followed their movements. The sharks swim huge distances in search of food, but do not hibernate on the ocean floor - a theory that had previously believed for over 50 years.
The information provided by the research will hopefully help to conserve the number of sharks. Basking sharks are listed as an endangered species.