Rare shark caught - and released

A SHARK weighing around 40lbs was pulled off the Welsh coast in a rare and unexpected find.

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Local angler Alex Mcglynn caught the tope shark in Swansea Bay and said he'd never seen one in the area in his 20 years of fishing.

Alex, a biology graduate from University of South Wales with a focus on marine biology, has been fishing ever since he was introduced to the hobby as child by his father.

He said: "So I've been fishing for years, since I was like five years old, my father got me into it.

"I heard on the grapevine that somebody said that they caught a tope off of Swansea Bay, which is really rare. So, we went down there with that target in mind to try and catch one, and obviously we were successful."

Apart from just being rare, the tope shark is also listed as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List and is a Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework.

He said: "They're a vulnerable species in general, but tope numbers are increasing. They are generally a deep water shark."