Porbeagle shark caught off Sussex coast - catch dellights and stuns anglers

Charter boat skipper Steve Green was out with crew Nick Williams when the impressive catch was landed off Brighton.

Williams said: “We were out turbot fishing on the banks. At the end of the drift everyone was reeling their lines up getting ready for the next drift.

"As I was watching them waiting for them all to be out the water before we could move the boat, one of the fishermen’s rods bent right over and immediately snapped the line. Then just seconds later the fisherman standing next to him had a massive pull on is line and we saw the fish take his bait right off the surface and then shoot away from the boat.

"This time the fish stayed hooked and the fight began! From our experience, our initial thought was that it was a large tope or smooth hound. However as we got it back to the surface we soon realised it was a shark!

"After a few tense moments of playing the fish it was in the net and on the boat. After a few quick pictures it was safely release back to the sea.

"After eight years of charter fishing in Brighton, this is the first time we have boated a shark. We have seen a few, had a few unknown big fish snap offs! This is the first caught and landed on a charter boat in many, many years.”

The porbeagle or porbeagle shark (Lamna Nasus) is a species of mackerel shark in the family Lamnidae, typically found widely in the cold and temperate marine waters of the North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere.

FACTFILE

Fish species: Porbeagle shark

Size: 30lb (approx)

Location: 10 miles out of Brighton Marina

Boat: Brigand Charters (Proteus)

Website: https://www.brigandcharters.com.

Skipper: Steve Green

Crew: Nick Williams (holding fish)

Date of catch: 22/08/23