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. Food: 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 REFERENCES: A Field Guide to The Sharks of British Coastal Waters - Vas 1991 FAO Species Catalogue 4 - Sharks of The World - Compagno Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean - Whitehead, Bauchot, Hureau, Nielsen, Tortonese Key to the Fishes of Northern Europe - Wheeler

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