Anglers land 'record-breaking' 368lb thresher shark off coast of Cornwall

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Amateur fishermen have hauled in what they believe is the biggest thresher shark caught in British waters.

A group of friends, who who fishing off the coast of Cornwall, said they lured the shark on to a hook and spent more than an hour battling to bring the creature aboard.

Weighing 368lbs (167kg), the thresher shark appears to be a contender for the biggest ever caught in Britain since it outstrips the largest previously recorded at 323lbs in 1982.

Yet its captors have also won praise for returning the vulnerable species to the water after measuring and photographing it, in a release the fishermen said was "a wonderful sight" to behold.

Daniel Hawkins, skipper of the Ilfracombe-based boat, said the crew had spotted the shark leaping high out of the sea.

"Within 15 minutes of the rod being out it just screamed off - and the next thing we saw was this thresher shark jumping 20 feet out of the water," he told the Cornish Guardian.

"Battle then commenced and they spent one hour and 20 minutes before getting it into the boat. It was a hard and fast battle and we covered about two miles during it.

"It was just sheer jubilation when we got it on board. It is one thing hooking it - but another to land it.

"It was measured and photographed before being released. It swam away strongly, a wonderful sight for all on board."

Thresher sharks are so named because of their exceptionally long, stream-lined tails which "whip" or stun shoals of fish underwater at a speed of up to 30 miles per hour, allowing the creature to easily eat them. They are not known to attack humans.

Threshers are also one of the few shark species to leap fully out of the water and make turns in the air like a dolphin. Yet commercial fishing for their meat, including their fins, and as prized game fish has made them a vulnerable species globally.

Mike Heylin, chair of the British Record Fish Committee, said the catch would be recorded on the "notable fish list" but could not be officially recorded - and therefore confirmed as the biggest thresher shark caught - because committee rules require fish to be weighed on land.

The "notable fish list" was established because the committee rules effectively encourage anglers to kill fish and sharks in order to make the record books, he told the BBC.