Noteworthy Shark Records from Mediterranean and European Atlantic Waters – May 2014 to October 2014

Helmut Nickel (mail), Shark Year Magazine,
21. November 2014

The following list provides a supplement and continuation of our previous post from 12. May 2014
Noteworthy Shark Records from Mediterranean and European Waters – September 2013 to April 2014

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Details on each specimen in descending chronological order :

Although all entries have been carefully checked, we cannot guarantee for the accuracy of the sources used.

Specimen No. 01

Date: reported on 25. October 2014
Location: Bursa Province, Turkey.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: said to be 4,50 metres in length, 673 kg in weight.
A record from the Sea of Marmara.
This large specimen was netted by anchovy fishermen in the Karacabey Strait.
Source and Photo Credit: Bursa Hakimiyet

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Specimen No. 02

Date: reported on 24. October 2014
Location: Porto Empedocle, Province of Agrigento, Sicily, Italy.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: said to be ca. 3 metres long and 250 kg in weight (other source: 2.50 m, 300 kg ).
A record from the Strait of Sicily. The semi-decomposed carcass of the female sixgill shark washed up on a beach in Porto Empedocle (between ‘Scala dei Turchi’ and ‘Punta Grande’), located on the island’s south-western coast.
Source and Photo: ‘Canicatti Web Notizie’ and ‘La Sicilia’.

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Specimen No. 03

Date: reported on 19. October 2014
Location: Spetses Island, Attica Region, Greece.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: not reported.
According to the fisherman, the sixgill shark was caught near Spetses which belongs to the Saronic Islands.
A related video is available on YouTube here.
Source and Photo: Kalimera Arkadia, Protothema News.

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Specimen No. 04

Date: reported on 14. October 2014
Location: Cornwall, England, UK
Species: Common thresher shark ( Alopias vulpinus )
Size: not reported.
The photo was taken at the fish market in Newlyn, Cornwall.
The sources do not provide any additional information about this specimen.
Source: Twitter, Instagram.

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Specimen No. 05

Date: reported on 11. October 2014
Location: photo taken in Belgium ( place of catch unknown ).
Species: Porbeagle ( Lamna nasus )
Size: said to be almost 2 m long, 150 kg in weight.
A Dutch fishmonger displayed this porbeagle shark at a market in Rekem (Lanaken, Belgium).
The Dutch manager claimed that they had found the shark already dead in their net while fishing for plaice.
Source and Photo: Nieuwsblad.

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Specimen No. 06

Date: 30. September 2014
Location: County Down, Northen Ireland.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus )
Size: said to be 7 ft in length.
A record from the North Sea. The dead specimen was found washed ashore on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, which is located on the north-east coast of Ireland. The photo was taken by Lena McVea of Ballywalter who had discovered the beached carcass. According to the source, a post-mortem examination revealed that the animal died of starvation.
Source and Photo: Isle of Man Today.

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Specimen No. 07

Date: reported on 30. September 2014
Location: photo taken in Belgium ( place of catch not reported )
Species: Porbeagle shark ( Lamna nasus ).
Size: said to be 2 metres long and 70 kg in weight.
The specimen was displayed and its meat sold by a fishmonger in Antwerp.
Source and photo: ATV Nieuws.

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Specimen No 08.

Date: reported on 27. September 2014
Location: Scilla, Calabria, Italy.
Species: Blue shark ( Prionace glauca )
Size: not reported
The shark was brought to shore at the port of Scilla,
situated on the shores of the strait of Messina.
A short video of the specimen can be viewed on YouTube here.
Source and Photo: Meteoweb

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Specimen No. 09

Date: reported on 20. September 2014
Location: Adana Province, Turkey.
Species: Carcharhinus sp. ( most likely Copper shark, Carcharhinus brachyurus)
Size: said to be 2,50 metres long, 135 kg in weight.
A record from the far-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey.
This shark was displayed at a fish market in Adana
after it had been caught in the waters off Karatas district.
Source and Photo: ‘Aktif Haber’.

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Specimen No. 10

Date: 19. September 2014
Location: Mareny Blau, Valencia, Spain.
Species: Blue shark ( Prionace glauca ).
Size: said to be 2 metres in length.
A record from the western part of the Mediterranean Sea.
On 19. Sept 2014 at ca. 4 pm, the Civil Guard was notified that the blue shark had been sighted just a few metres from shore at Mareny Blau which is located about 30 km south of Valencia city.
The animal appeared to be disoriented.
Source and Photo: Elmundo.

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Specimen No. 11

Date: 18. September 2014
Location: Carrigaholt, Clare County, Ireland.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus )
Size: said to be 5 metres in length, estimated 1200 lbs.
A record from western Ireland. This impressive specimen was caught and then released by the angler Jim Powell from England aboard the Irish charter-boat ‘Clare Dragoon’ ( skipper Luke Aston ).
Source and Photo: ‘Fishing in Ireland’.

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Specimen No. 12

Date: reported on 17. September 2014
Location: Çanakkale Province, Turkey.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus )
Size: said to be 3,63 metres in length, approx. 700 kg in weight.
Fishermen caught this large sixgill shark in the waters of the Dardanelles, the narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. Later, the catch was displayed by a fishmonger in Bursa city.
Source and Photo: Mynet.

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Specimen No. 13

Date: 15. September 2014
Location: Cadiz, Spain.
Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus )
Size: ca. 1 metre long, 10 kg in weight.
The young mako was caught by a recreational angler and kept for personal consumption.
Source and Photo: Jose Luis, ‘Pesca en el Mariate’.

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Specimen No. 14

Date: reported on 11 September 2014
Location: Banffshire, Scotland, UK.
Species: Porbeagle shark ( Lamna nasus )
Size: said to be 9 ft long.
A record from the North Sea.
Commercial fisherman Jake Geddes released this porbeagle shark after it had been caught in his boat’s nets off Banffshire, which is a maritime county in the north-east part of Scotland.
Soucre and Photo: ‘Scotland Now’.

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Specimen No. 15

Date: 08. September 2014
Location: Ylvingen, Nordland County, Norway.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus )
Size: said to be ca. 12 metres in length, estimated 10 tons in weight.
According to the source, the dead basker was first spotted by the crew on a ferry in the waters just west of Ylvingen island on the coast of Helgeland, Nordland. The shark had part of a fishing net wrapped around its head/gills and pectoral fins. It was then dragged to the island’s closest pier by a local ambulance boat.
Source and Photo: ‘The Local ‘.

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Specimen No. 16

Date: reported on 05. September 2014
Location: Fedafjorden, Vest-Agder County, Norway.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus )
Size: said to be 7,50 metres in length.
The basking shark got entangled in a fishing net that was set in the fjord of Fedafjorden,
located in Kvinesdal Municipality.
Source and Photo: ‘Radio Kvinesdal’.

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Specimen No. 17

Date: reported on 04. September 2014
Location: Arcachon, Gironde Department, France.
Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus )
Size: 1,67 metres long, 39,6 kg in weight.
A record from the French Bay of Biscay. The catch was made by the Arcachon trawler “Ocean III”. The mako was auctioned at the local market where it was sold to a fishmonger from Andernos-les-Bains.
Source and Photo: ‘SudOuest’

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Specimen No. 18

Date: 26. August 2014
Location: Bayas, Asturias, Spain.
Species: Mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus ).
Size: less than one meter in length.
A record from the southern Bay of Biscay.
The young mako shark was found dead on the beach of Bayas in the autonomous community of Asturias,
situated in northern Spain.
Source: El Comercio. Photo: Marieta Álvarez.

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Specimen No. 19

Date: 23. August 2014
Location: Rafailovići, Budva Riviera, Montenegro.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus )
Size: said to be 2,80 metres in length.
A record from the south-eastern Adriatic Sea.
The sixgill shark was caught by a fisherman from Rafailovići,
about 18 miles off the coast in a depth of 120 metres.
Source and Photo: ‘Vijesti’.

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Specimen No. 20

Date: reported on 22. August 2014
Location: Çanakkale, Turkey.
Species: not clearly identified ( presumably a Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias ).
Size: said to be 2 metres long, 60 kg in weight.
The shark was reportedly caught in the Dardanelles region.
This specimen could be a juvenile great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias).
But the only photo that is currently available makes an accurate identification of the species difficult.
Source and Photo: ‘Buyuk Torbali’.

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Specimen No. 21

Date: reported on 20. August 2014
Location: Adra, Almería province, Spain.
Species: Common thresher shark ( Alopias vulpinus )
Size: said to be over 2 metres in length.
A record from the waters of Almería Province in Andalusia, Spain ( western Mediterranean Sea ).
Source and Photo: ‘El Almeria’.

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Specimen No. 22

Date: reported on 14. August 2014
Location: Montenegro
Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus ).
Size: said to be over 1 metre in length.
A record from the south-eastern Adriatic Sea. This young specimen was caught on a longline in the waters between Bar and Ulcinj off southern Montenegro.
Source and Photo: ‘Bar Info’.

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Specimen No. 23

Date: 09. August 2014
Location: Boumerdès, Algeria.
Species: Blue shark ( Prionace glauca ).
Size: not reported.
Beachgoers dragged the apparently disoriented blue shark ashore at Boumerdès,
a seaside city located in the north of Algeria about 50 km east of Algiers.
Related videos can be viewed on YouTube here and here.
Various Sources. Photo: ‘Chouf-Chouf’.

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Specimen No. 24

Date: 06. August 2014
Location: Badesi, Province of Olbia-Tempio, Sardinia, Italy.
Species: Blue shark ( Prionace glauca ).
Size: said to be ca. 1,50 metres long.
The blue shark was sighted and also filmed ( see footage here ) just a few metres from shore at Badesi beach on the northeastern coast of Sardinia.
Source: ‘Unione Sarda’.

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Specimen No. 25

Date: 01. August 2014
Location: Halkidiki Peninsula, Central Macedonia, Greece.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: said to be 3 metres long, 200 kg in weight.
A record from the northwestern Aegean Sea.
A local fisherman caught this specimen about 26 km off the coast of Kassandra in Halkidiki.
Source and Photo: ‘Halkidiki News’.

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Specimen No. 26

Date: 27. July 2014
Location: Melito Porto Salvo, Province of Reggio Calabria, Italy.
Species: Blue shark ( Prionace glauca ).
Size: not reported ( quote: ‘a small shark’ ).
The dead specimen washed ashore on a beach in Melito Porto Salvo.
Source and Photo: ‘Stretto Web’.

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Specimen No. 27

Date: 22. July 2014
Location: Iria, Greece.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: said to be 2,50 metres long, 150 kg in weight.
A record from the waters of the Argolic Gulf, which is part of the Aegean Sea.
The sixgiller was caught by a fisherman from Iria in the Peloponnese region.
Source and Photo: ‘argolikeseidhseis’.

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Specimen No. 28

Date: 16. July 2014
Location: Ostia, Province of Rome, Italy.
Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus ).
Size: said to be about 1 metre in length.
A record from the waters off Ostia in the Italian province of Rome, situated on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
During a training session for a forthcoming tuna fishing tournament, a group of sport-anglers caught and released this young mako shark. They even managed to film the capture. The footage of the animal along with an interview of the fisherman has been broadcasted on YouTube by OstiaTv, see here.
Source and Photo: OstiaTv.

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Specimen No. 29

Date: reported on 14. July 2014
Location: Samothrace, Greece.
Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus ).
Size: said to be 1,50 metres in length, 60 kg.
A record from the Thracian Sea, which forms the northernmost point of the Aegean Sea.
The male mako was caught off the coast of Samothrace Island.
Source and Photo: ‘InKomotini’ and ‘Daily-Stories’.

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Specimen No. 30

Date: reported on 10. July 2014
Location: Roses, Catalonia Community, Spain.
Species: Devilray ( Mobula mobular ).
Size: said to be 235 kg in weight.
A record from the Gulf of Roses in the western Mediterranean Sea.
On 09. July 2014, a fishing vessel brougth this devilray to Port Roses after it had been caught about 7 miles from shore. The ray was sold for 0.58 Euros per kilo ( or 136.30 Euros for the complete fish ).
Source and Photo: ‘Emporda’.

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Specimen No. 31

Date: reported on 19. June 2014
Location: Isola del Giglio, Province of Grosseto, Italy.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus )
Size: said to be 3,72 metres in legth, over 300 kg in weight.
The sixgill shark was found dead in the waters off Isola del Giglio, which is an Italian island situated in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The shark carcass was discovered by a diver about 200 metres from shore who notified local authorities of the finding.
Source and Photo: ‘fidelityhouse News’.

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Specimen No. 32

Date: reported on 17. June 2014
Location: Saranda, Albania.
Species: Thresher shark ( Alopias vulpinus ).
Size: not reported.
A record from the northern Ionian Sea in the central Mediterranean.
Source and Photo: ‘Publiku’.

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Specimen No. 33

Date: 14. June 2014
Location: Villa San Giovanni, Calabria, Italy.
Species: Blue shark ( Prionace glauca ).
Size: said to be about 1,50 to 2 metres in length, ca. 100 kg.
The shark carcass washed up on Cannitello beach in the comune of Villa San Giovanni, which is located on the coast of the Strait of Messina.
Source and Photo: ‘Villaedintorni’.

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Specimen No. 34

Date: 11. June 2014
Location: Province of Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus ).
Size: estimated 4 metres long.
This short footage ( see here ) of a young basking shark was taken by two sailors in the Atlantic waters near Oia, a Galician municipality in the Province of Pontevedra, Spain.
Source and Photo: Telemarinhas.

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Specimen No. 35

Date: reported on 10. June 2014
Location: Northern Lebanon.
Species: Smalltooth sandtiger shark ( Odontaspis ferox ).
Size: said to be about 6 metres long, 800 kg in weight.
Various local news-sources are reporting that a big shark was caught in the waters off northern Lebanon in early June 2014. The accompanied photos show a large specimen of a smalltooth sandtiger ( Odontaspis ferox ). Although the reported size of 6 metres has to be a rough overestimate. The sources say that the specimen was caught by a fisherman from Tripoli, with one source reporting that the catch occurred in the waters off Selaata in the Batroun District, which is situated about 25 km south of Tripoli.
Source and Photo: ‘An-Nahar’, ‘NOW Lebanon’, ‘Lebanon24’.

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Specimen No. 36

Date: reported on 07. June 2014
Location: Manfredonia, Province of Foggia, Italy.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: said to be 4 metres long, 350 kg in weight.
A record from the southern Adriatic Sea.
The catch was made in the Gulf of Manfredonia on the east coast of Italy.
Source and Photo: ‘Foggia Today’.

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Specimen No. 37

Date: reported on 05. June 2014.
Location: Manfredonia, Province of Foggia, Italy.
Species: probably sandbar shark ( Carcharhinus plumbeus ).
Size: said to be 1,50 metres in length, 100 kg in weight.
A record from the Gulf of Manfredonia in the southern Adriatic Sea. The catch of the shark was reported from the waters of Torre di Rivoli, situated between Manfredonia and Zapponeta.
The source describes this specimen as a ‘blue shark’ ( quote: ‘squalo azzurro’ or ‘la verdesca’ ).
But the photo attached to the article definitely shows a Carcharhinus species. In this case, it appears to be most likely a young sandbar shark ( Carcharhinus plumbeus).
Source and Photo: ‘Foggia Città Aperta’

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Specimen No. 38

Date: reported on 30. May 2014
Location: Lekeitio, Basque Country, Spain.
Species: Porbeagle shark ( Lamna nasus ).
Size: said to be 120 kg in weight.
A record from the waters near Lekeitio in the northern Spanish province of Bizkaia ( southern Bay of Biscay ). The porbeagle shark died in a fishing net that was set relatively close to shore ( about half a mile ). The skipper immediately contacted ‘AZTI’ and asked if they would be interested in the fish for scientific examination. But then he discarded the dead specimen back into the sea after being informed that it is prohibited to keep this shark species. Photo credit goes to Unai Belaustegi.
Source: EITB, Basque Radio-television.

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Specimen No. 39

Date: reported on 26. May 2014
Location: Tinos, South Aegean Region, Greece.
Species: Smalltooth sandtiger ( Odontaspis ferox ).
Size: said to be over 2 metres in length ( other source: approx. 3 metres ).
The catch was made near Tinos, which is a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea.
Source and Photo: ‘ Tinos Today’ and ‘Plektani’.

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Specimen No. 40

Date: 19. May 2014
Location: Almeria, Andalusia, Spain.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: said to be 3,80 metres in length.
The dead sixgill shark washed up on a beach in the Punta Entinas-Sabinar Natural Park.
According to the source, the specimen was in a badly decomposed condition and had a piece of rope tied around its pre-caudal area as an indication of previous interaction with fishing activities. Photo credit goes to Eva Morón ( NGO Equinac ).
Source and Photo: ‘Equinac’.

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Specimen No. 41

Date: reported on 11. May 2014
Location: Port de la Selva, Girona province, Catalonia, Spain.
Species: Thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus).
Size: said to be 4,54 metres in total length ( 2,25 m precaudal length ), over 200 kg in weight.
A record from the western Mediterranean Sea. The catch was made by a small-scale fishing vessel from Port de la Selva on the Costa Brava. The specimen has been misidentified as a bigeye thresher (‘Alopias superciliosus’) in the local media. A related news-video is available on YouTube here.
Source: ‘El Periodico’.

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Specimen No. 42

Date: reported on 09. May 2014
Location: Deltebre, Catalonia, Spain.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus )
Size: said to be over 1,50 metres long, 90 kg in weight.
A record from Catalonian waters in the western Mediterranean Sea. The source is reporting that the young basker was accindentally caught in a fishing net off Riumar in the vicinity of the Ebro Delta.
Source: ‘Nacio Digital’. Photo: ‘Aguaita’.

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Specimen No. 43

Date: reported on 08. May 2014.
Location: Mersin, Turkey.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: said to be 2,50 metres in length, 300kg.
A record from Mersin in the far-eastern Turkish Mediterranean region.
Source and Photo: ‘Aktif Haber’.

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Specimen No. 44

Date: reported on 06. May 2014
Location: Meloria, Livorno, Italy
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus ).
Size: said to be 8 metres in length.
A record from the Ligurian Sea,
The female specimen was found dead, lying on the seafloor at a depth of ca. 32 metres and still entangled in fishing gear. The discovery was made in the waters near Meloria, a rocky islet off the Tuscan coast, almost opposite Livorno. The carcass was recovered by local firefighters and ARPAT.
Source and Photo: ‘il Tirreno’ and ARPAT.

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1 Comment

  1. paddy

    Grim.especially the suspected great white

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