Fishermen have hauled in a porbeagle shark measuring seven feet in length off the coast at Whitburn.
The shark was already dead when it was caught in the fishing nets by the Star Devine boat.
Local fishmonger Robert Latimer heard about the catch and was immediately interested in bringing it in to his café at Latimer’s Seafood Deli.
He said: “We couldn’t believe the size of it when we saw it.
"My only guess is the shark was hunting wild salmon and trout, which are migrating, to their home rivers at this time of the year.
“We are totally against discarding any fish – this shark was dead when it was hauled on board, or else we would not have taken it, as it should have been returned alive to the sea.”
Porbeagle sharks are an endangered species with catches dramatically declining over the last 30-40 years.
The shark has been attracting local tourists who have come to Latimer’s to take a peek at the unusual catch, and shark meat is also for sale.
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