Noteworthy Shark Records from Mediterranean and European Waters – September 2013 to April 2014
Helmut Nickel (mail), Shark Year Magazine, 12. May 2014The following list provides a supplement and continuation of our previous post from 02. September 2013 Noteworthy Shark Records from Mediterranean and European Waters – March to August 2013.
Although all entries have been carefully checked, we cannot guarantee for the accuracy of the sources used.
Forty-three Noteworthy Recent Shark Records from Mediterranean and European Waters
( reported from 12. September 2013 to 02. May 2014 ).
Details on each specimen in descending chronological order :
Specimen No. 01
Date: 02. May 2014
Location: Castellaneta Marina, Province of Taranto, Italy.
Species: Blue shark ( Prionace glauca ).
Size: about 2 metres in length.
A record from the Apulia Region in southern Italy ( Ionian Sea ). The dead blue shark washed up on shore in Castellaneta Marina. Please see the related video on YouTube here.
Source and Photo Credit: ViviCastellaneta
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Specimen No. 02
Date: reported on 30. April 2014
Location: Porto Venere, Province of La Spezia, Italy.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus )
Size: said to be ca. 3 metres in length ( other source: about 4 m long, 300 kg ).
A record from the Ligurian coast in north-western Italy. This young female basking shark became entangled in a fishing net in the Gulf of La Spezia.
Source: la Repubblica Genova. Photo Credit: Paolo Varrella.
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Specimen No. 03
Date: reported on 29. April 2014
Location: Sorrentine Peninsula, Province of Naples, Italy.
Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus )
Size: about 0.5 metre long.
The newborn female specimen was caught in a ‘legal’ (authorized ) fishing net in the waters of the marine protected area of Punta Campanella.
Source and Photo Credit: Corriere del Mezzogiorno.
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Specimen No. 04
Date: 27. April 2014
Location: Loctudy, Finistère Department, Brittany, France.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus )
Size: said to be 4 metres long (other source: 2.5 metres) and 250 kg in weight.
This dead basker was found on a beach in Loctudy. The shark had several deep lacerations on its body between dorsal and caudal fin ( presumably caused by propeller strikes ). It’s the second stranding of a basking shark in this area of Brittany within two weeks ( see Specimen No. 10 ). Both specimens were examined by APECS.
Sources and Photo Credit: ouest france, Le Télégramme.
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Specimen No. 05
Date: reported on 24. April 2014
Location: Turkey.
Species: Sixgill shark ( Hexanchus sp. )
Size: said to be 2.5 metres in length, 600 kg ?
The reported weight has to be an incorrect estimate.
Source and Photo Credit: Haberciniz.
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Specimen No. 06
Date: 22. April 2014
Location: Gulf of Ajaccio, Corsica, France.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: nearly 3 metres in length.
The shark was caught in the Gulf of Ajaccio, located off the south-western part of the island of Corsica. Photo credit goes to Xavier D’Orazio.
Source: corse.france3.fr
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Specimen No. 07
Date: reported on 22. April 2014
Location: Sardinia, Italy.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus ).
Size: said to be 2.5 metres in length.
The juvenile specimen was caught off the coast of Santa Teresa, a town that is situated on the northern tip of Sardinia on the shore of the Strait of Bonifacio
Source and Photo Credit: Mela Verde News
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Specimen No. 08
Date: reported on 17. April 2014
Location: Arsuz, Hatay Province,Turkey.
Species: Thresher shark ( Alopias vulpinus )
Size: said to be 4.5 metres in length, 300 kg in weight.
This female specimen was caught near Arsuz, located in the İskenderun district on the far-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey.
Source and Photo Credit: Haberciniz.
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Specimen No. 09
Date: reported on 16. April 2014
Location: Dörtyol, Hatay Province, Turkey.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus )
Size: said to be 3.5 metres in length and 170 kg in weight.
A record from the far-eastern Turkish Mediterranean coast.
Source and Photo Credit: Iskenderun Haber.
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Specimen No. 10
Date: 12. April 2014
Location: Finistère, Brittany, France.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus ).
Size: said to be 5 metres in length and 650 kg in weight.
The dead basker washed up on a beach in Névez. It’s a commune in the southern part of the Finistère Department, which is located in the extreme west of Brittany. A scientific examination of the specimen was conducted by staff of the Biological Station in Concarneau and APECS (Association pour l’étude et la conservation des sélaciens). About two weeks later, the stranding of another dead basking shark (slightly smaller) was reported from the same region in Brittany ( see Specimen No. 04 ). A related video can be viewed on DailyMotion here.
Source and Photo Credit: ouest france.
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Specimen No. 11
Date: reported on 10. April 2014
Location: Lerici, Province of La Spezia, Liguria, Italy.
Species: Thresher shark ( Alopias vulpinus ).
Size: said to be 200 kg in weight.
A record from the Gulf of La Spezia in north-western Italy. Commercial fishermen from Lerici made the accidental catch off the coast of Fiascherino.
Source and Photo Credit: Thomas de Luca, la Repubblica Genova.
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Specimen No. 12
Date: reported on 08. April 2014
Location: Faroe Islands / Denmark
Species: Porbeagle shark ( Lamna nasus )
Size: said to be 150 kg in weight, and ca. 3 m long.
The porbeagle was caught in the Faroe Islands (non-EU waters), and then sold to a fish wholesaler in Denmark.
Source and Photo Credit: dagens.dk
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Specimen No. 13
Date: reported on 27. March 2014
Location: Cephalonia, Ionian Islands, Greece.
Species: Bigeye thresher shark ( Alopias superciliosus )
Size: said to be 4 metres in length, over 250 kg in weight.
A record from the waters of Cephalonia, which is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece. This bigeye thresher was caught in a fishing net that had been set in the strait between Ithaca Island and Sami ( a town situated on the central east coast of Cephalonia Island ).
Source and Photo Credit: madata.gr, stoxos.
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Specimen No. 14
Date: reported on 18. March 2014
Location: Mersin Province, Turkey.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: said to be 4 metres in length, 500 kg in weight.
The shark was caught by fishermen from Erdemli in Mersin Province, located in southern Turkey on the Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana.
Source and Photo Credit: Haber7.
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Specimen No. 15
Date: reported on 17. March 2014
Location: Ilia, Western Greece.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus )
Size: said to be 2,7 metres in length.
An accidental capture made by fishermen from Kyllini.
Source and Photo Credit: Patris News.
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Specimen No. 16
Date: reported on 14. March 2014
Location: Cetraro, Calabria Region, Italy .
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: said to be 3 metres long and 200 kg in weight.
A record from southern Italy ( west coast ). The sixgill shark was accidentally caught in a fishing net in a depth of about 200 meters, ca. 4 miles off the coast of Cetraro and Acquappesa.
Source and Photo Credit: Miocomune.it
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Specimen No. 17
Date: reported on 11. March 2014
Location: Castlegregory, County Kerry, Ireland.
Species: Porbeagle shark ( Lamna nasus ).
Size: 1.8 metres in length.
The dead shark washed up on the Aughacasla beach in Castlegregory.
Source: The Irish Examiner. Photo Credit: Bernard Fitzgerald.
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Specimen No. 18
Date: 27. February 2014
Location: Le Castella, Province of Crotone, Calabria, Italy.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus )
Size: slightly over 2 metres in length.
The young basking shark was released after it had been found alive in a fishing net off the coast of Capo Piccolo in Isola di Capo Rizzuto.
Source and Photo Credit: crotone.weboggi.it
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Specimen No. 19
Date: reported on 22. February 2014
Location: Dodecanese, Greece.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: said to be over 2 metres in length, 170 kg.
The sixgill shark was offered for sale on a market in Kallithea. It had been reportedly caught in the waters of the Dodecanese which is a group of Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
Source and Photo Credit: Lamia Times.
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Specimen No. 20
Date: 21. February 2014
Location: Villaricos, Province of Almería, Spain.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus )
Size: ca. 2 metres.
The accidental catch was made in Andalusian waters. The specimen got entangled in a fishing net about 8.5 km from the beach of Garrucha.
Source and Photo Credit: Spectrum FM Costa Almeria
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Specimens No. 21, 22, 23
Date: reported on 19. February 2014
Location: Jijel, Algeria.
Species: 3 x Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus)
Size: –
The three sixgill sharks ( two males and one pregnant female ) were caught by fishermen fom Jijel in northeastern Algeria. A short footage of the female specimen can be viewed in our Video-Section here.
Source and Photo Credit: jijel.info
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Specimen No. 24
Date: 21. January 2014
Location: Tazones, Municipality of Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus )
Size: said to be 3 metres in length, 250 kg in weight.
The young basker was caught in Asturian waters near Tazones, located on the northern Spanish coast ( Bay of Biscay ).
Source: VillaviciosaHermosa. Photo Credit: Vincente Alonso.
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Specimen No. 25
Date: reported on 20. January 2014
Location: Caesarea, Israel.
Species: Carcharhinus sp. ( presumably Carcharhinus brachyurus ).
Size: said to be ca. 3 metres long and 300 kg in weight.
A record from the far eastern Mediterranean Sea. This shark was caught at the beach of Caesarea in Israel. In my opinion, it’s most likely a bronze whaler shark ( Carcharhinus brachyurus ).
Source and Photo Credit: almnar.co.il
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Specimen No. 26
Date: reported on 17. January 2014
Location: Aigio, Greece.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: said to be over 3.5 metres long and 350 kg in weight.
The shark was caught by a fisherman from Aigio in the waters off Aliki. The catch was sold for 4.90 Euros per kilo.
Source and Photo Credit: Patras Events, NewsIt.
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Specimen No. 27
Date: reported on 13. January 2014
Location: La Marsa, Tunisia.
Species: Thresher shark ( Alopias vulpinus ).
Size: said to be 3.7 metres in length nad 150 kg in weight.
The photo was posted on Facebook without any additional information.
Source and Photo Credit: Facebook.
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Specimen No. 28
Date: reported on 05. January 2014
Location: Balikesir Province, Turkey.
Species: Angel shark ( Squatina squatina ).
Size: said to be 1.10 metres long and 40 kg in weight.
Anchovy fishermen caught this angel shark in their fishing net off Bandirma in the Sea of Marmara.
Source and Photo: Turkiye Gazetesi.
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Specimen No. 29
Date: 30. December 2013
Location: Portici, Province of Naples, Italy.
Species: Common thresher shark ( Alopias vulpinus ).
Size: said to be about 2 metres long.
A record from the Gulf of Naples off the western coast of Italy. This thresher shark was caught by fishermen from Portici in the Province of Naples. There is a video of the specimen in our Video-Section here.
Source: retenews24. Photo Credit: Raffaele Falco.
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Specimen No. 30
Date: 21. December 2013
Location: Çanakkale Province, Turkey.
Species: Thresher shark ( Alopias vulpinus ).
Size: said to be 3.5 metres in length, 110 kg in weight.
A record from the northern Aegean Sea. The common thresher was caught in the waters off Küçükkuyu, a town in Çanakkale Province.
Source and Photo Credit: Balıkesir Son Dakika
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Specimen No. 31
Date: reported on 19. December 2013
Location: Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey.
Species: Bramble shark ( Echinorhinus brucus ).
Size: said to be 2.50 metres in length.
A record from the Sea of Marmara. The catch of this rare bramble shark occurred in the waters off Tuzla, an eastern suburb of Istanbul. It was made by commercial fishermen who were targeting haddock or whiting.
Source and Photo Credit: Tuzla Olay Gazetesi.
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Specimen No. 32
Date: reported on 15. November 2013
Location: San Benedetto del Tronto, Province of Ascoli Piceno, Italy.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: said to be 5 metres in length and 400 kg in weight.
A record from the Adriatic Sea. The catch was made by the commercial fishing vessel Polmar about 20 miles off the coast of San Benedetto on the night between the 14th and 15th November 2013. Fishing method: bottom trawling? (fishing techniques mentioned in Italian source: ‘reti americane’).
Source and Photo Credit: Riviera Oggi.
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Specimen No. 33
Date: reported on 14. November 2013
Location: Antalya, Turkey.
Species: Shortfin mako shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus ).
Size: ca. 1 metre in length, 15 kg in weight.
A record from the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. This young mako shark was caught by recreational fishermen while fishing for Atlantic bonitos Sarda sarda near Kundu in Antalya.
Source and Photo: Gerçek Gündem.
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Specimen No. 34
Date: reported on 12. November 2013
Location: Mersin, Turkey.
Species: Carcharhinus species.
Size: said to be 2 metres long and 300 kg in weight ( an unrealistic overestimate ).
The shark (most likely a sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus) was sold at a market in Şanlıurfa after it had been caught by a fisherman in Mersin on the eastern Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey.
Source and Photo Credit: Urfada Gündem.
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Specimen No. 35
Date: reported on 28. October 2013
Location: Kuşadası, Aydın Province, Turkey.
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus).
Size: said to be 4 metres long and 600 kg in weight.
A record from the Turkish Aegean Sea. The large sixgill shark got entangled in a commercial fishing net.
Source and Photo: Haberciniz.
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Specimen No. 36
Date: 19. October 2013
Location: Salakta, Mahdia Governorate, Tunisia.
Species: Great white shark, male ( Carcharodon carcharias ).
Size: said to be over 4 metres in length and ca. 1.500 kg in weight.
A record from the African Mediterranean coast. The adult male white shark was caught off the beach of Salakta in Tunisia, and later sold for 3.500 Tunisian Dinar ( approx. 2.200 US-Dollar ).
We already posted a video of this specimen in our Video Section ( here ). Additional YouTube Videos can be viewed here and here.
Source: Webdo Tunisie. Photo Credit: Tunisia World.
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Specimen No. 37
Date: reported on 11. October 2013
Location: Bodrum, Muğla Province, Turkey.
Species: Carcharhinus species ( probably a sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus ).
Size: said to be 2.5 m in length and 150 kg in weight.
The specimen was caught in a fishing net off Bodrum, located in the southwestern Aegean Region of Turkey.
Source and Photo Credit: Bodrum Time.
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Specimen No. 38
Date: reported on 07. October 2013
Location: Italy.
Species: Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus )
Size: said to be 7 metres in length and ca. 700 kg in weight.
680 kg of basking shark meat was seized by Staff of the Italian State Forestry Corps ( CFS ) and the Maritime Fisheries Directorate ( see related video here ).
Source and Photo: il punto a Mezzogiorno.
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Specimen No. 39
Date: 04. October 2013
Location: Embleton, Northumberland, North East England, United Kingdom.
Species: Greenland Shark (Somniosus microcephalus ).
Size: ca. 3 metres in length and 120 kg in weight.
A record from the British North Sea.. The dead shark was found washed up on Embleton beach.
Source and Photo Credit: NTlindisfarne
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Specimen No. 40 and No. 41
Date: 29. September 2013
Location: Province of Catanzaro, Calabria Region, Italy.
Species: one Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ), one unknown specimen.
Size: not reported by source.
Both sharks were caught off the coast of Gallico in the Strait of Messina.
The larger specimen (right photo) is a bluntnose sixgill shark, but an accurate species identification of the smaller shark (left photo) is difficult.
Source: MeteoWeb. Photo Credit: Mirko Montechiarello
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Specimen No. 42
Date: 21. September 2013
Location: Brittany, France.
Species: Smalltooth sandtiger ( Odontaspis ferox ).
Size: 3,24 metres in length and 220 kg in weight.
The dead specimen was found stranded on a beach in Morbihan. You can find a related news-video in our Video-Section here.
Source: Bretagne France3. Photo Credit: S. Iglésias.
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Specimen No. 43
Date: 12. September 2013
Location: Catona, Reggio di Calabria, Italy
Species: Bluntnose sixgill shark ( Hexanchus griseus ).
Size: said to be 3 metres in length.
The specimen was caught off Catona in the Strait of Messina.
Photo credit goes to Giuseppe Lacaria.
Source: MeteoWeb
These people stand next to these dead sharks like there heroes and look very proud of them selfs, guys let the sharks be you are mindless idiots with deep issues go see a doctor
Spot on there Paul mate