Prionace glauca
Photo taken aboard Luke Aston’s boat Clare Dragoon with thanks to John SAI
Distinguishing features
The blue shark is a long, slender member of the shark family with long, curving pectoral fins. The upper lobe of the tail fin is also long. It has no spiracle and five gill slits. The back and upper sides are dark blue, fading into a lighter blue on the lower sides and white on the belly.
Size
This shark can grow to lengths of around 3.8 metres in Northern European waters and can weigh up to 160 kg.
British Record Fish List
UK Shore Record: 40lb / 18.143kg Qualifying weight
UK Boat Record: 218lb 0oz 0dms / 98.878kg
European Line Class Record for this species
Habitat
The blue shark is ocean going and is found in warm and temperate waters throughout the world. It is a seasonal migratory fish in northern waters and rarely comes close to shore. It tends to live in the surface areas. The majority of these northern sharks are female.
Bait
Mackerel are the most effective bait for the blue shark, either live or as a flapper. They respond well to the scent trail from rubby dubby.
