Huge shark caught

This Jaws-dropping catch of the day was landed by a fisherman off the Northern Ireland coast last week.

02 September 2013

The big shark was taken on a live cod bait by Drew Nelson from Carrickfergus Specimen Hunters and weighed in at well over the 200lb mark!

The big shark, the first of the season, was taken on a live cod bait by Drew Nelson from Carrickfergus Specimen Hunters angling club and weighed in at well over the 200lb mark.

Thankfully the porbeagle, like most species of sharks, is not dangerous to humans.


Hamish Currie, skipper of the Predator II boat, said it was the only fish of the trip off the north coast as killer whales (orcas) forced the porbeagles to move quickly away on the day. The Porbeagle is also known as the 'Mackerel Shark'.

However, it is not the biggest rod and line shark caught off the Irish Coast.....In 1932 a porbeagle shark weighing 365lb was caught with rod and line by Dr O'Donel Browne, an Irish big-game fisher. It was caught at Keem bay, on the north west coast of Achill, under the lee of Achill Head cliffs...here it is...

The head of this specimen was mounted and is displayed on the wall of the bar in the Achill Head Hotel, at Keel on Achill Island in County Mayo. Here it is...

You will have to go inside to see it for yourself....but don't get too close, this dog made that mistake...