We will take you on your ultimate fishing trip, targeting sharks. White Water on one days fishing have boated 19 blue sharks. Quite often boating five fish over the 100lb in the days fishing. With numerous blue and porbeagle sharks over 200lbs and also monsters lost when anglers have broken down during the fight.

During one battle with a big fish, a Shimano TLD 50 and beastmaster 30/80 rod, the reel which holds 700 yards of 50lb was down to its last 200. The fish went deep for the first part before it was slowed up. Then, changing its battle plan, it then runs straight to the surface at full pelt. At this point the angler broke down under the strain, could not keep up with the line retrieval and disaster! slack line, hook turned, fish off.

Some you win and some you lose! But disasters are what make us go fishing for sharks. If we boated every fish it wouldn't be such a challenge. Just think of it the way I do. There's always a bigger monster than the last, out in the open waters of the Atlantic!

If required, tackle can be provided, more info on shark fishing tackle.

Catch and Release to Protect our Sport

White Water operates a strict catch and release policy when shark fishing. It's the only way forward if we are to keep a healthy shark fishery. Other ports have found out that if you kill your sharks you also kill your sport. Take the port of Looe in Cornwall for example, in it's hey day, boats would return with numerous amounts of sharks that were killed to be weighed and photographed. But today the port is a shadow of its former self. The port of Looe is still the headquarters of the shark angling club of Great Britain with many great records. But Milford West Wales must be one of the hottest shark venues in the UK at present.

Porbeagle Shark

The Porbeagle Shark (Lamna Nasus), is UK's biggest game fish. It is thought to grow to about a thousand pounds and is endemic to the cool temperate waters of the Northern Atlantic. It is a pelagic, oceanic shark and is frequently found near the shore especially during the summer months.

The Porbeagle is a stout thick set perfectly formed shark that is blue grey on top and white underneath with a white patch on the trailing edge of the first dorsal fin. It has the usual characteristics of 5 gill flaps, a pointed nose and large eyes, with a crescent shaped tail and a secondary keel that effectively cuts the water during the side to side swimming motion. It is easily identified by clusps at the base of its teeth with a white patch at the bottom of its dorsal fin and has a capability of growing two or three rows of teeth.

The Porbeagle shark is a member of the Lamnidae family of shark's which includes the Great White and Mako Sharks.

The 'Porgie' as it is affectionately known, follows the huge pelagic mackerel and herring shoals and is the main reason it is found close inshore during the summer months. However they also eat cod, pollack, haddock, squid and shellfish.

The porgie is warm blooded and ovoviviparous, retaining the developing young within the brood chamber before giving birth to live young. The developing sharks obtain nutrients by devouring other fertilized eggs in the oviduct. Young are probably born in the late winter and spring. The females generally produce four pups that are between 60 to 75 cm long at birth. Female porbeagles reach sexual maturity at an age of 12 years or older, while the males are mature at age 7 years. However, they are only thought to breed once every two to three years.

Porbeagle Shark Fishing Marks

The porbeagle in the UK and Ireland is predominately found hunting in locations where the Gulf Stream has its strongest influence.

West Wales has become a noted porbeagle area and Milford Haven Port must be one of the hottest shark venues in the UK at present. The Gulf Stream influence on the Welsh coast and marks in Cardigan Bay have produced large fish with many porgies over 150lb.

England also has well-known marks located off the North Cornwall and Devon coasts, from ports such as Padstow, Boscastle and Crackington Haven. The South Cornwall ports such as Looe and Polperro also produce porbeagles but not in the quantities as West Wales. The English Channel and the Isle of White also produces good-sized specimens every year.

North East Scotland has produced huge porbeagles in the past, but because of over-fishing this has led to a decline in the species in this area over the last few years.

Blue Shark (Great Blue Shark)

The Blue Shark (Prionace Glauca) is a pelagic (open ocean) shark, and is the most easily recognised sharks by its distinctively coloured streamlined body reaching nearly four metres in length with a pointed conical snout, and long pectoral fins, enabling this shark to glide along in ocean currents.

The distinct colouration of a blue shark is a dark blue from above, bright blue on its sides, changing to white underneath on its belly. Blue shark teeth on both the lower and upper jaw have triangular with smooth or finely serrated edges. It has five gill slits, a heterocercal tail, large circular eyes and a first dorsal fin that is much larger than the second.

Blue sharks swim slowly and are designed to cruise over great distances with minimum energy expenditure, although they are known to be able to exert bursts of speed and rapid movement when hunting. Blue sharks are voracious predators, mainly feeding on schools of pelagic fish such as cod, hake, haddock, herring, mackerel, pollack and pilchards, then squid, and may sometimes eat seals, they are opportunistic foragers that will not hesitate to consume densely packed krill, scavenge off of a dead whale or pursue an injured porpoise. Blue sharks are considered to be dangerous and are thought to be responsible for attacks on ship and air disaster victims; they have been known to consume dead and injured sailors and pilots during air/sea war disasters and are considered dangerous to divers. The blue shark's snout is packed with sensitive electrical field detection equipment that enables it to track and zero in on a prey item.

The blue shark occurs in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans in both inshore and offshore waters. This wide ranging species is found from 50º N latitude to 50ºS latitude. In temperate waters the blue shark is a wide ranging pelagic species occurring near the surface. In tropical waters the blue shark is more commonly found in deeper waters where it is cooler. Coastal/Offshore species from the surface down to 150m.

The blue shark is a viviparous species, nourishing the young in the uterus via a yolk sac placenta and giving birth to live pups. The new born shark pups measure 35 to 50 cm in length and litters usually consist of between 20 to 40 individuals. A litter can have as few as four and as many as 135 pups, depending upon the size of the mother. Females blue sharks do not mature until they are 5 years old (length approximately 230cm), and probably do not breed for the first time until they are 7 years old, while for males it is achieved at lengths of 180cm to 280cm. After copulation the females may retain and nourish the spermatozoa in the oviducal gland for months or even years while she awaits ovulation. Once the eggs have been fertilized there is a gestation period of between 9 and 12 months.

Blue Shark Fishing in the UK

Blue sharks inhabit deep water in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas worldwide and are frequently spotted off the coasts of Ireland, Wales and Cornwall, predominately found hunting in locations where the Gulf Stream has its strongest influence. West Wales has become a prominent Blue Shark area and Milford Haven Port is becoming, if not already regarded as one of the best shark venues in the UK at present. The Gulf Stream influence on the West Wales Coast have produced large fish with many blue sharks over 160lb. Our boat record blue shark catch was 241cm in length and 100cm around the girth, caught by Ronnie Webb 25 miles out off Milford Haven. As we operate a catch release policy with sharks, the conservative estimate of weight of the shark at 214lb, just four pounds below the UK record, set in 1959 off Cornwall. (Some experts suggest 240lb+ but we were more than happy to take our photos and return the shark to the sea without harm).

England also has well-known marks located off the North Cornwall and Devon coasts, from ports such as Padstow. The South Cornwall ports such as Looe (home of the GB Shark Angling Club) also have blue sharks, but due to over fishing in the past are not in the present quantities found off West Wales, North Cornwall and Southern Ireland..

Blue Shark Migration

Blue sharks are highly migratory and travel further distances than any other shark, migrations of 1,300 to 1,800 miles are common and journeys of 3,700 miles have been recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. In the Pacific Ocean, Blue Sharks have been found to travel even longer distances of up to 5,700 miles. The Blue Sharks’ complex migratory patterns are believed to be linked to reproduction, populations of mature males and females meet to mate and pregnant females migrate huge distances to give birth well away from other mature sharks and the distribution of their prey. Different sexes and ages undergo different patterns of movement, young male and female sharks are usually found in different areas, and mature adults are also separated for most of the year.

Genetic analysis indicates that the Blue Sharks of the western and eastern North Atlantic represent a single breeding stock. Mating takes place in the western North Atlantic during spring and early summer (May through to July). Incredibly many of the recently-mated female Blue Sharks in the western North Atlantic are not yet sexually mature; they store the sperm packets in special sacs (shell glands) within their reproductive tract. As they migrate on their transatlantic journey eastward across the North Atlantic the adolescent female Blues mature and begin passing ripe ova through their shell glands where the sperm packets are stored and fertilization takes place. Roughly a year after a female Blue Shark was inseminated in the western North Atlantic, she self-fertilizes during her epic eastward migration. Most of the male blue sharks will remain in the western North Atlantic. The gestation period is 9-12 months, resulting in a large litter of between 4-135 pups at a length of 35-50 cm born in the spring or summer months. The number of pups varies among females and is thought to be related to the size of the female. Pups are live born (known as vivipary) in nursery areas. They will remain here until they reach a length of about 130 cm at which time they will begin to migrate. By the age of maturity, their migration patterns will resemble those of other Blue Sharks.

To conserve energy on their long migration, female Blue Sharks ride the open ocean currents from the western North Atlantic following the course of the clockwise-flowing North Atlantic Gyre, journeying from west to east in the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Current to reach pupping grounds off Southern Ireland, West Wales, South West England, Spain, Portugal and the eastern Mediterranean. The next leg of the Blue Sharks’ journey takes them south in the Canaries Current, after which those returning to America find the North Equatorial Current and follow it back across the North Atlantic to the Caribbean. On the last leg of their journey the female Blue Sharks head north again in the Gulf Stream to return to traditional mating sites off the New England coast.

The total round trip is about 9,500 miles.

 

Thresher Shark

.These sharks use their tails to herd baitfish into a mass by slapping or thrashing the water, then stunning or injuring fish before swallowing them.

Thresher sharks have a max weight of 900 pounds. They are easily recognized by the long upper tail section that is almost as long as its body which is uses to strike fish with. These sharks are strong fighters, occasional jumpers and very fast swimmers.

Thresher sharks have a max weight of 900 pounds. They are easily recognized by the long upper tail section that is almost as long as its body which is uses to strike fish with. These sharks are strong fighters, occasional jumpers and very fast swimmers.

The thresher shark is characterized by its large upper caudal fin. This tail fin may often be 50 percent of the total length of the shark. It has a short snout and large eyes placed forward on the head. The second dorsal fin is much smaller than the first. The thresher is a strong swimmer and can leap clear of the water. The jaws are small with small, curved sharp teeth without basal cusps or serrations. Colour varies from brown to black with metallic hues from above and irregular white markings on the underside.

This shark's teeth are small, curved, and smooth, but razor sharp. The teeth are similarly shaped in both the upper and lower jaws. Color varies from metallic brown to blue on the dorsal side and white on the ventral side.

Threshers have small, blade like, smooth edge-curved teeth. There are 20 teeth on either side of the upper jaw and 21 teeth on either side of the lower jaw. The two jaws have similar teeth with each successive tooth becoming increasingly oblique with outer margins increasingly deeply concave.

Atlantic Common Thresher Shark (Alopias vulpinus)

The thresher shark is brown, gray, blue-gray, or blackish on its back and underside of its snout, lighter on the sides, and abruptly white below. A white area extends from the abdomen over the pectoral fin bases. The pectoral, pelvic, and dorsal fins are blackish, and white dots are sometimes present on pectoral, pelvic, and caudal fin tips. The caudal fin is sickle-shaped, and the upper lobe is extremely long - about 50% of total body length.

 

.

.

Mako Sharks in UK Waters?

There have been various reports of Mako Sharks (Maori for man-eater) in UK Waters in the last few decades, but is this just a case of mistaken identity ?

Makos were apparently common in the waters off Cornwall, but none have been caught since the early 70’s.

The sightings of a Mako shark off Cornwall leaping out of the water may have just been amorous basking sharks. One sighting estimated at 15ft would be extremely big for a Mako shark but a normal size for a Basking shark

Many times a Porbeagle is mistaken for a Mako, as they look so similar. Both members of the Lamnidae family of sharks.

A Porbeagle dorsal fin has a rounded top to its dorsal with a white area on the back bottom of the dorsal, whereas a Mako has an erect dorsal with no white on the back bottom trailing edge.

Porbeagle, notice the rounded top and white patch on back of its dorsal fin

Although there have been no recent reported sightings of this shark yet, we cannot completely rule out the possibility that one might be out there!

Great White in UK Waters?

There was an alleged sighting of a Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) during 1999 in Cornwall

In UK waters this is especially doubtful, as the white shark is exceptionally scarce in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean, you will have to go as far south to Spain at least to find one. The most northerly confirmed and authenticated account comes from La Rochelle, in Biscay.

If the a White shark was in Uk Waters, there would be three origins, the Mediterranean, Western North Atlantic, or Southern African, this species may have the greatest range of all living sharks but it is very unlikely for it to venture as far UK waters.

More likely is that the sightings were of that another lamnid shark, probably the porbeagle, or maybe the shortfin mako.

Even with the amount of commercial fishing in UK waters, there has never been any reasonable proof of their existence in our waters.

Having said that, there is no reason why they may not stray in our waters!

 

How to determine between Male and Female Sharks

It's easy, a male shark will have two claspers extending from his pelvic fins, the two rod like white claspers as can be seen in the picture below.

A female will not have claspers.

Shark Eye Protection

Most sharks have eye protection called nictitating membranes, but not all sharks, of the 453 shark species worldwide, there are about 18 species that lack this eye protection. They instead have to roll their eyes for protection, these include porbeagle, white, mako, thresher, dogfish, and basking sharks.

If you look closely at the blue shark on the left, you can see it's nictitating membrane being raised for protection. However the porbeagle on the right, lacks a nictitating membrane.

Shark Teeth

Most sharks do not chew their food, but gulp it down whole it in large pieces. Their teeth are not able to chew food, but only to tear it into mouth-sized pieces.

Shark teeth are not lodged permanently within the jaw, but are attached to a membrane known as a tooth bed. The tooth bed membrane is similar to a conveyor belt, moving the rows of teeth forward as the shark grows, thus replacing the older teeth in front that have become damaged, fallen out or worn down.

Some sharks have teeth that are very sharp, wide, wedge-shaped, and serrated (having a jagged edge), designed for catching and tearing apart prey, for example the great white shark, the tiger shark, the hammerhead and the bull shark).

Some sharks have thin, sharp, knife-like teeth designed to catch and hold slippery fish, for example the Porbeagle and Mako Shark.

Many bottom-dwelling sharks have thick conical or flattened teeth in the back of their mouths that are used for crushing crabs and mollusks, for example bull huss, smoothhounds

	The blue sharks upper teeth are triangular and curved with serrated edges (saw-edged) and overlapping bases, whilst the lower teeth are more straight and slender with finely serrated edges.
	Porbeagle shark teeth are long and sharp and are smooth-edged with lateral denticles, the Lateral denticles in porbeagle teeth are not found in the teeth of a mako.
	Mako's teeth are long, thin, and sharp. The mako's teeth are are slender and slightly curved with no lateral cusps, and are visible even when the mouth is closed. The teeth of the porbeagle and mako are alike in both the upper and lower jaws. The porbeagle has smooth edged teeth with lateral denticles while the mako has more slender teeth without lateral denticles.
	White Sharks teeth are triangular and serrated (saw-edged) are virtually symmetrical.

 

Click here to view shark photos.

Click here to view shark videos

 

 

 

 

UK Shark Species

There are at least 21 species of sharks have been recorded in British coastal waters.

Blue Shark - Prionace glauca
Porbeagle Shark - Lamna nasus
Short-fin Mako - Isurus oxyrinchus

Basking Shark - Cetorhinus maximus
Thresher Shark - Alopius vulpinus

Lesser Spotted Dogfish - Scyliorhinus canicula
Tope - Galeorhinus galeus
Spurdog - Squalus acanthias
Smooth Hammerhead - Sphyrna zygaena
Smooth Hound - Mustelus mustelus
Starry Smooth Hound - Mustelus asterias
Black-mouthed Dogfish - Galeus melastomus
Nursehound - Scyliorhinus stellaris
Monkfish [shark] - Squatina squatina

The Bigeye Thresher Shark - Alopias superciliosus
Bluntnose Sixgill Shark - Hexanchus griseus
Greenland shark - Somniosus microcephalus
Sharp-nosed Seven-gilled Shark - Heptranehias perlo
Frilled Shark - Chlamydoselachus anguineus
Velvet Belly Lantern Shark - Etmopterus spinax
Kitefin shark - Dalatias licha
Bramble Shark - Echinorhinus brucus