Jaw-Dropping: Huge Shark Caught Off Cornwall

Two fishermen have reeled in what is believed to be the largest shark caught in British waters.

Wayne Comben and Graeme Pullen, from Hampshire, caught the porbeagle shark off the Cornish coast at Boscastle, only a few hundred metres from the shore.

The anglers said they believed the massive porbeagle was 3m (10ft) long and weighed 250kg (550lbs).

"I have never seen anything like it in 40 years of sea fishing," said Mr Pullen.

When they dropped the bait into the ocean there was a "crazed feeding frenzy", he told the BBC.

The anglers said it took them more than an hour-and-a-half to reel in the huge catch, which dragged them for about a mile.

The Angling Trust's marine environmental campaigns manager, David Mitchell, told Sky News Online that from the images he believes the shark is a record-breaker.

"I don't think anyone has seen a shark that big in British waters - it's certainly the largest rod-caught shark anyone has seen," he said.

Mr Comben and Mr Pullen legally tagged the shark and released it alive.

But for any fish to be officially recognised as the biggest in the UK, rules say it must be killed and weighed on shore.

Mr Mitchell said: "[This catch] can't be verified because quite rightly the fish was released back into the water.

"But most commentators are confident it would be the largest porbeagle caught in British waters."

The Angling Trust discourages fishermen from killing sharks to claim a record.

"It's absolutely right that the fish was released - we wouldn't encourage anglers to land the species just to claim the record," Mr Mitchell said.

The existing UK shark record stands at 507lbs for a porbeagle shark that was taken off Orkney in 1993.

The British Records Fish Committee has created a "notable fish list" in order to recognise such catches.