The basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus, is the second largest fish, after the whale shark. It is a cosmopolitan species - it is found in all the world's temperate oceans. It is a slow moving and generally harmless filter feeder.
Like other large sharks, basking sharks are at risk of extinction due to a combination of low resilience and overfishing to supply the worldwide market for the shark's fins, flesh and organs.
