An endangered shark has been caught in shallow waters off a British beach by a stunned fisherman.
Alex McGlynn, who has been fishing for 20 years, said he had never seen a tope shark in the area.
The species is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.
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They can grow up to six-feet in length and primarily eat bony fish as well as crustaceans and cephalopods.
Thankfully, the species of shark are not deemed dangerous to humans.
There are no records of attacks on people.
Alex thinks the catch, which happened off the coast in Swansea, could be a good sign.
“What a fish, I was absolutely buzzing,” he told What’s The Jam.
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“It is rare to catch them off shallow beaches or off the shore entirely.
“It shows that numbers are increasing or they are looking for alternative food sources due to a lack of their primary food source, mackerel, likely caused by overfishing.
“Tope are generally a deep water shark, so you usually catch them off boats.”
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Alex released the shark soon after catching it.
He said it weighed about 40lbs.
There has never been any record of an unprovoked tope attack on humans.
In the past, tope were targeted for their high vitamin A content in their liver.
They are protected in UK and EU waters and if caught on rod and line must be returned to the sea alive.
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