Basking Sharks - Reremai

Once common in New Zealand waters, basking sharks - the world’s second-largest fish - are now rarely seen. They once formed large groups off Kaikoura and Banks Peninsula. Unlike predatory sharks, they are filter feeders, consuming zooplankton and crustaceans in plankton-rich coastal areas. Major threats include targeted fishing and bycatch. Protected under the Wildlife Act 1953, it’s illegal to harm them within New Zealand’s territorial waters.