Rare, giant basking shark caught off Australia

PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/MUSEUM VICTORIA/NICOLE MILLER

Officials measuring a giant basking shark that was accidentally picked up by a fishing trawler in Bass Strait, off the Australian mainland's most south-eastern point.

Fishermen who caught the whopping 6.3m-long basking shark have provided scientists with a rare opportunity to study the second-biggest fish on the planet, after the whale shark. Museum Victoria said it was only the third time such a shark had been seen in the region in more than 160 years.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 25, 2015, with the headline Rare, giant basking shark caught off Australia. Subscribe