Endangered shark dies after washing up on beach

A large endangered shark died after it washed up on a Jersey beach.

The Government of Jersey's Marine Resources department said it received reports the shark, which was 4.3m (14ft) long and weighed 597kg (1,316lbs), had been found at Greve D'Azette on Sunday.

It said the animal, identified as a smalltooth sand tiger shark - which is on the IUCN Red List - was "showing small signs of life" but was unable to be revived. It was later taken away by the incoming tide.

The shark, the first of its species to be found in Jersey since records began, washed up again at the beach on Monday and was taken away for a post-mortem examination, which showed "no obvious signs" of cause of death, officials said.

"The shark showed no signs of fisheries interaction or entanglement," Marine Resources said on a Facebook post.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue, which was also called out to help at the beach, said the shark was an elusive and deep-water species "typically found in warm and tropical oceans globally".

"The first confirmed records in the UK and Irish waters of this species were only published in 2023, when three individual sharks were recorded in the English Channel and Celtic Sea," the charity added.

"Their sightings may be linked to warmer than average sea temperatures contributing to a northward shift in the species' range."

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