Abstract
The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the world’s second largest fish and the subject of strong conservation concern. Minimal genetic assessment exists for this globally distributed but regionally endangered species. We describe the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of C. maximus, obtained via polymerase chain reaction-based Sanger sequencing. The total length of the mitogenome is 16,670 bp and consists of 2 rRNAs, 22 tRNAs and 13 protein-coding genes. The base composition has an A + T bias (63.6%), as is often seen in other sharks. Gene order is equivalent to that found in most vertebrates.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article. This study was funded by the Save Our Seas Foundation and Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. A. Bernard was partially supported by scholarships from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center.