A mako shark caught off Pembrokeshire in Wales is believed to be the first of the species caught by an angler fishing around the British coastline for over 40 years.
The two-metre-long fish, weighing around 200lb and reported by the BBC, was caught by Andy Griffith who was fishing aboard Andrew Alsop’s charter boat ‘White Water’ some 30 miles off Milford Haven.
It’s believed to be the first mako every caught off Wales, and sources say it’s the first confirmed catch of a mako from anywhere around the UK since one was caught off Looe in Cornwall in 1971.
Makos are one of the most aggressive sharks to swim in the oceans and there are several confirmed stories of these sharks attacking boats anglers are in after being hooked, even leaping into them in some cases.
The anglers aboard ‘White Water’, including actor Julian Jones, had already caught and released two 120lb-plus blue sharks when the mako came along. The fish leapt 15ft clear of the water when hooked.
The British mako shark record is the fish taken in 1971. It was caught off the famous Eddystone Lighthouse and weighed 500lb.
The world IGFA all-tackle record stands at 1221lb, a fish caught off Massachusetts, USA in 2001. However, a claim is in process for a 1,323lb mako shark caught off Southern California in June 2013.
