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A blue shark thought to be Britain’s biggest on record has been caught off Cornwall.

Amateur angler John Dine hooked the 9ft monster during a fishing trip from Penzance.

His three friends lent a hand as he spent an hour reeling the shark into the 30ft Bite Adventures catamaran owned by Penzance skipper Robin “Chippy” Chapman.

The group heaved it on board where they measured its length and girth. From that, they calculated its weight at 256lb, well above the 58-year record holder of 214lbs.

They then lifted it up for the obligatory photo before returning it back into the sea safe and well. The group, from Essex, intend to claim the “catch and release” record from the Shark Angling Club of Great Britain.

Mr Dine used mackerel bait on a size 10/0 hook to tempt the shark and a 400lb, 49-strand Fin-Nor rod and reel.

Skipper Robin Chapman told the Daily Mirror: “I had a party down for a few days fishing for sharks, as they do every year. They had it in their minds this time that they wanted a big one.

“We didn’t have to wait long. As soon as they hooked the shark up we knew it was big, it went off like a steam train.

“After 40 minutes of hard battling, we saw the fish from the bow as it circled the boat once before going off on another surging run.

“I told John to remember what he saw because if he lost it nobody would believe him.

“The fish repeated this five or six times but luckily the wire and hook held fast.”

John Richardson from the Plymouth-based Shark Trust (sharktrust.org/anglers) praised the anglers for putting the shark back – and for handling it correctly out of the water. In the photo they are supporting the animal to ensure its internal organs are not damaged, he said.

Blue sharks are found all around the world. Those in UK waters are usually female, Mr Richardson said. They are thought to make an annual west-to-east migration across the Atlantic.

Blue sharks can grow to 13ft and 400lbs. Larger examples tend to be found in warmer waters, where the heaviest recorded weighed in at 862lb.

Blue sharks are listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red Book.

According to the International Shark Attack File there have been only two unprovoked shark attacks in UK waters in recorded history. Last year there were 84 unprovoked attacks by all species worldwide, but only four fatal.