I've caught ... a shark! Angler reels in 170lb monster off Pembrokeshire coast

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Catch of the day: Wayne Little (right) poses with the 170lb blue shark before releasing it back into the sea


An angler has caught one of the most lethal shark species known to man after the fish arrived in their hundreds in British waters.

Wayne Little, 42, hauled in the 8ft blue shark off the holiday beaches near Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, last week.

Mr Little's catch came just months after he hooked in another blue shark which was so big it would have broken a British record had he not thrown it back in the water.

He used mackerel bait to entice the blue shark, one of many species which are believed to have been drawn to British waters because of the warmer weather.


Blue sharks have been seen in increasing numbers around the British coast and are believed to have been drawn here thanks to warmer sea temperatures


The warmer waters of the Gulf Stream in the South-West have made the Pembrokeshire coast is one of the UK's best spots for shark fishing.

According to shark experts, there are now 'hundreds' of blue and porbeagle sharks 20 miles off the South-West coast.

Blue sharks can grow up to 13ft long and have been known to attack humans.

Mr Little spent nearly an hour reeling in his latest monster catch, which weighed a whopping 170lb.

After getting it aboard, the shark thrashed about, so boat charter skipper Andrew Alsop sat on its head to stop it from biting them.

The pair then carefully lifted the specimen up for the camera - and captured the fish with a bizarre enigmatic smile on his face.


Hot spot: The warmer gulf stream on the Welsh coast has made places like Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire (pictured) one of the top places for shark fishing in the UK


After measuring its length and girth, they were able to calculate its weight at around 170lbs before throwing it back into the sea safe and well.

Wayne said: 'Blue sharks travel on the Gulf Stream and come up on the warm water.
'Sea temperatures off the South-West have warmed up in recent years and now we are getting a hell of a lot of them out there.

'You are probably talking about hundreds of blue sharks, if not 1,000, about 20 miles off the South Wales coast.

'But not a lot of shark fishing goes on in our waters and so nobody really realises just how many there are here in the summer months.'


source :dailymail