Late August 2025 saw something special, the first International Basking Shark Conference in Ireland, hosted by the Irish Basking Shark Group (IBSG) together with the National Parks & Wildlife Service, with Fair Seas deeply involved as a partner. With two full days of technical talks and workshops in Galway, followed by an Ocean Literacy Day in Achill, the event brought together scientists, conservationists, community members, and cultural voices to share knowledge, build connections, and celebrate this iconic species.

 

Programme & Format

The conference ran over August 29–30 at Atlantic Technological University (Galway), featuring technical presentations (talks + posters), workshops, an icebreaker evening, and a gala dinner. Then on August 31st, Achill Island hosted Ocean Literacy Day, which was open to the public, focusing on cultural history, marine education, and getting people close to the environment.

 

Key Themes

  1. New research on basking shark movement, population connectivity, tagging, photo-identification and sighting/resighting. (Including ongoing All-Ireland visual tagging and photo-ID work by IBSG)

  2. Combining science + culture: how local histories, fishermen’s knowledge, heritage, lore, and cultural voices enrich our understanding of basking sharks. The cultural “place” of the shark in Irish coastal communities was central.

  3. Data sharing & international collaboration, pushing for open access to research, sharing methodologies, exploring gaps (spatial, temporal) in what we know.

  4. Outreach, conservation policy & public engagement: making sure that research results inform conservation action, legislation, and community involvement. Ocean literacy, awareness, volunteer science, etc.

 

Workshops & Special Events

There were workshops aiming to build capacity (methods, best practices) and discussions around how to make research more inclusive. The Achill “Ocean Literacy Day” included cultural programming, public talks, and opportunities to bring people who aren’t usually in academic settings into the conversation.

 

Fair Seas Roles & Reflections

  • It was fantastic to see how funding, organisation, local leadership, and community engagement all came together. Fair Seas’ and all the other partners support helped make possible aspects such as the public literacy day, the outreach components, and ensuring broad access.

  • Seeing participants from multiple countries and disciplines, marine science, heritage studies, policy, education, was reaffirming. It underscored how basking shark conservation isn’t “just” a marine biology question: it’s also cultural, social, legal, and creative.

  • The reels, posts, photos, LinkedIn reflections (including from IBSG, IWDG, NPWS, and many individual researchers) show that people found the conference meaningful: new connections, unexpected insights, and renewed motivation.

  • For Fair Seas, this conference reinforced what we believe: that research, community and culture must go hand in hand for marine conservation to stick.

 

Social Media & Highlights

  • We published an Instagram reel about Fair  Seas’ participation in the conference, capturing moments, people, and place.

  • IBSG and other organisations shared reels & posts before, during, and after the event reflecting anticipation, scientific findings, and cultural moments.

  • On LinkedIn especially, many speakers and attendees reflected on the importance of data sharing, connecting with traditional/local knowledge, and building momentum for future research & policy work. 

 

What’s Next

  • A full report on the conference is coming out, including detailed summaries of talks and posters, insights from workshops, recommendations for future research, and reflections from participants. It’s going to take a bit of time to pull together (so no date to share yet), but we’re excited about what it will include.

  • Some of the themes that emerged, such as filling geographic data gaps, more robust tagging & photo-identification across regions, better integration of traditional/local knowledge, and stronger policy links, look likely to be included in Fair Seas’ priorities in the coming years.

  • There will also be opportunities for community-led events, outreach, and perhaps collaborative research projects spurred from connections made at the conference.

 

Thank you to everyone who helped make the event possible: organising committees, presenters, local community hosts, funders, partners, and all the attendees. The conversation around basking sharks was richer than ever, and we hope this marks the beginning of ongoing momentum rather than a one-off.

If you missed parts of the conference or want to review highlights, check out our Instagram reel above. Stay tuned for the full report and don’t hesitate to visit the Irish Basking Shark Group website. 

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