ANOTHER fisherman spots 'great white shark' in Cornwall

Updated
ANOTHER fisherman spots 'great white shark' in Cornwall
ANOTHER fisherman spots 'great white shark' in Cornwall

An experienced fisherman has said he spotted a 14ft shark possibly weighing more than 1,000lb swimming close to his boat on Wednesday near Looe, off the southern coast of Cornwall.

David Bond saw the animal while on his shark fishing boat, Mystique.

The sighting came after a fisherman on board a lobster boat said he saw a "giant shark" swim alongside the vessel for a few seconds on Tuesday.

And, on Wednesday afternoon, a third fishing crew saw a huge fish breach the water, estimating the fin to be six or seven feet away from the tail, reports the Express.

None of the skippers believe it was a basking shark, huge plankton-eating animals often seen in Cornwall.

Other explanations could be a porbeagle or a mako, but it is believed this shark was bigger than these species generally grow. Shark expert David Turner told the Express: "A great white has to be a contender."

The news comes just days after attacks on blue sharks in the area were possibly thought to have been carried out by a great white or an oceanic whitetip - the shark that targeted shipwrecked soldiers who clung to wreckage of the USS Indianapolis after it was torpedoed during the Second World War in the Pacific Ocean.

Last week, fisherman Nigel Hodge says he looked on as another shark attacked the blue shark he was reeling in near Falmouth.

Nigel told the Mirror: "As we brought it in closer we could see there were actually two sharks on the line. One was twice as big as the other – about 10ft in length, dark grey on top with a white underbelly, just like a great white.

"It became clear the smaller blue shark was being attacked by the bigger shark, and then suddenly the weight disappeared from the hook.

"The large shark seemed to roll off, flashing its white underbelly, before swimming off. It was like a large ­shadow under the water."

Nigel added that the blue shark had been badly bitten upon inspection. Some experts said they believed it was the work of an oceanic whitetip.

However, not all experts agreed, and called it a silly season scare story.

According to the Falmouth Packet, a statement from the Shark Trust said: "The photos showed clear bite marks and were examined by Richard Peirce, other members of the Trust board, and a 'world acknowledged' bite and dentition expert in the US.

"The unanimous view was that the bite was not caused by a Lamnid shark (eg a Great White) but by a Carcharhinus or Requiem shark."

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