13ft shark caught off the coast of Cornwall

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An angler from Dagenham, Essex has told how he was left battered and bruised after he caught a 13ft Thresher shark off the coast of Looe, Cornwall.

The Daily Mail reports that Martin Roberts, 49, was shark fishing with friends on a 32ft catamaran, 20 miles off the coast.

The 350lb shark is one of the biggest ever caught in British waters, and Mr Roberts and his five-strong crew had to struggle to pull in into the boat.

Although these sharks are not man-eaters, feeding mainly on schools of fish in shallow waters, according to the Daily Mail, they can decapitate a man with a swipe of the tail.

Mr Roberts told the Daily Mail: "My arms were shaking for days after the tussle - it was an incredible couple of hours.

"The shark gave me the fight of my life - it just wouldn't give in and it was in total control.

"It tugged me around the boat four times and took up around 700 metres of my line. I am all bruised up and feel worn out. But what a fish to catch."

He added: "As soon as I felt the first tug on my rod I knew it must be quite a big fish.

"After an hour and a half, with help from everyone on board, we eventually managed to pull the shark through the hatch door on the back of the boat."

After taking pictures, the crew threw the shark back into the sea.

Mr Roberts said: "Everyone would love to say they caught a shark that size and I have been lucky enough to do it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

"We always let the sharks go - and especially after what had happened that morning. I had no reason to kill it - it gave me the best sport of my life. We got back and the whole town was celebrating."

Hilary Casson, secretary of the Shark Angling Club of Great Britain, said: "It is extremely rare to catch a Thresher shark - especially one of that size. It is a huge shark. I don't think one has been landed of Looe since the 1960s."

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