Richard Collins: Giants of the ocean can live to a great age — if we let them

Carbon-14 dating of adult shark specimens give age estimates of 250 to 500 years

The basking species is the largest fish in the North Atlantic and the second largest in the world

A tale of two giants: the basking shark has been designated a protected species in Ireland, and the Northwest Fisheries Organisation is prohibiting the taking of Greenland sharks in Nordic waters. Even sharks caught as bycatch can’t be retained.

Although they belong to different families, the CVs of these sharks have something in common; both are record holders. The basking species is the largest fish in the North Atlantic and the second largest in the world. Only the whale shark of warmer seas is bigger. Although less famous, the Greenlander is not only the world’s longest-living fish, it holds the longevity record among vertebrates both marine and terrestrial.