Rare shark spotted swimming in the Firth of Forth by fisherman

Rare sight: The tope shark was seen at Methil Pier in Fife.Richard Miller

A rare shark has been spotted swimming in the Firth of Forth.

The tope shark was captured on camera by a man out fishing for mackerel near Methil Pier in Fife.

Richard Miller, 47, was surprised to spot the creature which is rare on the east coast. He said: “I couldn’t believe it, it was great to see.”

Experts say it has been 50 or 60 years since this breed of shark has been seen in the Forth due to overfishing. The species is much more common off the west coast.

Tina Aydon from Deep Sea World aquarium in North Queensferry, said: "They are a very vulnerable coastal species because they are vulnerable to bycatch.

"They are also very slow to mature. They don't mature until they are 10 years old, so they are a slow-breeding species.

"It's definitely an unusual sighting and could suggest they are coming back."

Deep Sea World has two sharks in captivity but Ms Aydon confirmed that the shark spotted in the sea was not an escapee.

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