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Fact File:
Common Name(s):Tope (School Shark)
Scientific Name: Galeorhinus galeus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Usual Size:To 195cm Within UK waters between 140/150cm
UK Record Weights from rod/line:
Shore:58lb 2oz
Boat:82lb 8oz
MAFF Minimum Size: Shore: Boat:
Identification:
Upper body Grey to brown, under side white
Breeding:
Plancentally viviparous (live bearing). Litter size
between 6-52 pups, usually 25-35, with the pups at 35cm at birth. Females mature
between 130-185cm when approximately 11 years old.
Habitat:
Found between depths of 2-471m. Both a coastal and
offshore species, although known to come within the surf-line. Mostly a bottom
and mid-water schooling shark.
Bait:
Fish eater, mostly Whiting, Pout, and other schooling
species, though occasionally crustaceans plus squid and cuttlefish
Range:
For the UK found from Scotland to the English Channel,
for most of the year, and during the summer months tending to be closer inshore,
though migrations are known to include the Mediterranean Sea.
Additional Notes: Has a
potential weight in excess of 100lbs