WATCH: Catsharks found on Hastings beach

James Hearn said he and Nicole Brookes-Higgins found the three catsharks in the morning while they were walking from the Old Town towards the pier.

Nicole said: “We were walking along the Old Town side of the beach at around 9.30am when we came across what we thought was a fish. It was still breathing so we put it back in the sea.

"We continued walking and looking up what the fish was. It turned out to be a catshark. We then came across two others further along the beach.”

Catsharks are ground sharks of the family Scyliorhinidae. They are the largest family of sharks with around 160 species.

Although they are generally known as catsharks, some species can also be called dogfish due to previous naming. However, a dogfish may generally be distinguished from a catshark as catsharks lay eggs while dogfish have live young.

The small-spotted catshark is found off the coasts of Norway and the UK, as well as in the Mediterranean.

The Wildlife Trusts said catsharks are predators and feed on crabs, molluscs and other small fish. When threatened, they curl up into a doughnut shape.

The small-spotted catshark has other common names such as 'rough hound', 'lesser spotted dogfish' and also 'rock salmon'.

The Wildlife Trusts said it is found all over the UK’s coasts.