Basking sharks are hit by boats

Conservationists claim that many marine creatures show serious signs of stress when they encounter wildlife-watching trips.

Basking sharks, dolphins and seabirds are all affected during the tourist season.

Dolphins, threatened by trawling in the South West, are forced to perform by skippers eager to give their customers a thrill.

Seabirds can be unsettled by boats coming too close to nests, causing chicks to be killed on the cliffs.

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And basking sharks are hit by boats as they feed on plankton just below the surface of the sea.

The gentle giants of the sea are already threatened elsewhere as a source of lucrative shark fin soup.

The two-day Wildlife Safe (Wise) scheme in Torbay, is open to all leisure boat owners.

It is aimed at training skippers to operate tourist trips to ensure the best views of fish, mammals and sea birds, while also protecting them.

Nigel Smallbones, coastal zone manager for Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, said: "People are fascinated by basking sharks in particular because of their great size.

"There can be 300-400 of them in one area during late summer, but people are getting too close to them and harassing them."

Ken Lane, of Dart Princess Pleasure Cruises, said: "As a boatman, it is encouraging to see an organisation providing courses to assist and enable people to appreciate the natural world around our coasts."

The scheme is funded by English Nature, Marine Southwest, European Social Fund and the South West Regional Development Agency.

If successful it will be extended across the UK.