Fishermen gobsmacked by ‘largest ever’ 500lb monster shark catch in Irish waters

A group of fishermen and scientists landed a monster shark off the coast of Ireland last week, the largest ever recorded in Irish waters.

The beastly female porbeagle shark, nicknamed Danu, was measured at over nine feet (2.8 metres) long and weighed around 500lbs (227kg). She is thought to be around 25 to 30-years-old.

She was landed by local anglers Sid, Terry, and Peter from Counties Cork, Down and Antrim respectively, before scientists from Trinity College Dublin took measurements and samples and attached two satellite tags.

Danu was then released back into waters off the Donegal coast and within 48 hours was tracked as far away as the Hebrides in Scotland, reports the Irish Mirror.

One of the tags provides information on her migration history and ocean conditions encountered and will detach in some months' time.

The second ‘SPOT’ tag will provide near real-time data on her location whenever her fin breaks the water's surface.

Nick Payne, shark biologist and Assistant Professor in Trinity’s School of Natural Sciences, said: "It is exciting to see such huge porbeagles in Irish waters.

"The conservation status of porbeagles has been really concerning in this part of the world, with the European population considered critically endangered.

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"There’s evidence that the Donegal coast may act as a globally important reproductive area for this species, with lots of very large female sharks appearing here for a short period in Spring."

Porbeagle sharks are actually close relatives of Great Whites and, despite their monstrous size, rarely attack humans.

The trip last week was the first in a new research collaboration between Trinity, Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) and local shark anglers, together with leading scientists from James Cook University (Australia), University of Miami and US non-profit Beneath the Waves.

Jenny Bortoluzzi, PhD candidate in Trinity’s School of Natural Sciences, took blood samples from the shark.

She said: “This highlights once again both the importance of collaboration between scientists and anglers in a citizen science context and Ireland’s potential key role in conservation as a marine biodiversity hotspot.”

A second large female porbeagle (around eight feet in length, nicknamed Sorcha) was also tagged and released but she, unlike Danu, decided to continue cruising in the waters near Donegal.

Overfishing has seen a severe decline in porbeagle stocks since the 1930s and commercial fishing by EU vessels has been prohibited since 2010.

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