Shark Rescued Off Cornish Coast

April 18, 2007

Release from: United Press International

LONDON - A basking shark was found close to death after it was entangled in a fishing net off Britain's Cornish coast.

The 12-foot shark recovered quickly after it was cut free, The Times of London said Tuesday.

Conservationists say the shark was drawn close to shore by the warm weather. Basking sharks don't usually arrive in the area until June but there have been three recent sightings off the Cornish coast, the newspaper said.

The Cornwall Wildlife Trust says sharks face such threats as harassment by inquisitive water users, collisions with boats, and entanglement with fishing gear and marine litter.