One English Channel basking shark is still cruising the seas, hoovering some 2000 cubic metres of water an hour - thanks to divers who found it trussed up in a gill net and cut it free.

Cornwall Wildife Trust volunteers were carrying out an eelgrass survey at Roskilly off Penzance when one, Steve Adams, spotted the tangled shark.

"Initially we thought the shark was dead and it was a really sad sight, but then we realised her eyes and mouth were moving and that she was still alive," he said.

Several divers worked for 30 minutes to free the relatively small, 3.5m basker, which had suffered abrasive cuts around its nose, fins and tail. Photographer Mark Webster was also aboard the dive boat and was able to capture the shot seen here.

"Once free of the net, the shark was belly-up and it didn't appear that she would survive," said rescuer Jonathan Smith. "However, once we turned her the right way up, her recovery was surprisingly fast."

Gillnets are a particular hazard because they are set from the seabed to within a few metres of the surface. Joanna Doyle, Marine Conservation Officer of the Cornwall wildlife Trust, said: "The amount of gill netting around the Cornish coast has increased dramatically in the last few years and this fishery is very difficult to regulate."

Another basking shark, found the previous week, had not been so lucky. The 4.5m creature was washed up at Perranporth in north Cornwall, its severed tail a clear sign that it had been trapped in a net and cut away.

Sightings of basking sharks, alive or dead, should be made nationally to the Marine Conservation Society. Live sightings aid the MCS's longstanding research into British basking shark populations, while reports of carcasses can be forwarded to local scientists, who can carry out tests on the remains and ensure safe removal.

Fishermen, too, can participate without fear of punishment. Although basking sharks are protected by law in British waters, an accidental catch is not an offence.

Related links
Basker!
The basking shark file
Marine Conservation Society

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