The Sun Newspaper has described the dispatch of a sizeable and harmless tope shark caught by Kevin Legge off the North Devon coast as the heroic killing of a monster shark. 

 

This story is all the more dissappointing as the Shark Trust has recently shown strong support for Anglers as part of Defra's consultation on Tope.  Threats to further develop a commercial fishery for Tope led Defra to propose alternative management options: a prohibition on the fishing for Tope by all methods other than rod and line [providing the animals are released and preferably tagged] being the favoured stance. The Shark Trust has long supported well-managed catch and release and tag and release fisheries, acknowledging the value of the information and data generated by the anglers involved and the stewardship role that is often adopted. 

 

The Sun article quotes Kevin Legge as saying “I knew I had something special” , indeed he did.

 

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