Shark Hub UK
Anglers and scientists, together as equals, for sharks.
Never has there been a more exciting time for UK shark science. We are encountering more and more top predators in our waters opening up a range of possibilities to learn more about these incredible animals. Providing the wealth of practical knowledge and insight into shark activity in the UK that recreational shark anglers possess and using the skills and analytical tools available to our scientific team we are seeking to secure a sustainable future for both sharks and shark angling in the UK.
How does Shark Hub UK Aim to Do This?
Angling for Science
Through combining the knowledge and skills of recreational shark anglers and marine researchers we are working together to achieve the following shared objectives and to improve both the protection and management of UK shark species.
- Advocate the importance of knowledge and data gathered by the recreational angling community
- Provide shark anglers with the best resources and information on shark biology, ecology and conservation
- Supporting the recreational shark angling community with its development and ongoing review of shark angling and handling best practice
- Engage with and make the sport and shark science more accessible to, a diverse range of people to improve participation, including those from vulnerable communities and disadvantaged socio-economic groups
- Better understand the distribution, abundance, ecology and movement patterns of UK shark species
- Contribute to national and international shark management
- Provide evidence to relevant management bodies to reduce the overexploitation of sharks
- Generate public education and awareness of UK sharks and the value of recreational shark anglers to shark conservation
Connect With Us
Dive Into The Conversation
Shark Handling Guides
Best Practice for Best Post-Release Survival
There are occasions where boarding smaller shark may be necessary for the safety of both the fish and angler, and the guidelines include instructions on how to safely do so. However, this is non-trivial and is best attempted by those experienced in shark handling.
Shark Hub UK will also be releasing a best-practice handling guide in due course.
Get Involved
Meet the Team
Dr. Georgia Jones
Bournemouth University
Georgia has worked on sharks for the last 10 years, conducting research projects on several species around the world and gaining a PhD on great white ecology. Her research has included Protected Area design, movement analysis through acoustic tracking and species distribution modelling. Her main focus now is trophic ecology, using stable isotopes and fatty acids from shark tissue to understand diet, habitat use and movement patterns within and between species. In 2015 she founded a charity with a focus on public education and research on UK sharks. Georgia is now a Senior Lecturer at Bournemouth University, dedicated to working with the recreational shark angling community to better understand and help manage sharks around the British Isles.
Hannah Rudd
Angling Trust
Hannah is the Policy & Advocacy Manager for the Angling Trust, with a MSc Marine Environmental Management from the University of York where her research focused on whale sharks and great white sharks. Hannah is passionate about shark research and the goals of Shark Hub UK, with international experience of working with a variety of species under her belt. She is excited to be working with the recreational shark angling community in the UK to better understand UK sharks and to inform their management, whilst also highlighting the role shark anglers can play in securing a brighter future for not only sharks but the entire marine environment.
Dr. Simon Thomas
SACGB & SCBI
Simon has been a fanatical angler since an early age and is the honorary biologist for both the Shark Angling Club of Great Britain and the Sportfishing Club of the British Isles. Through this work and independent data collection he has co-founded the Pat Smith data base with John McMaster, which is the second largest and longest database of blue shark captures in the world. His research aims to better inform decisions by global policymakers on shark conservation, highlight the role played by anglers in collecting the required information and to link changes in UK blue shark populations with large scale environmental drivers. Simon promotes the utilisation of the knowledge possessed by the anglers and skippers, who are often the real experts in the shark species.
Steve Murphy
SCBI, Bluefin Tuna UK & Angling Trust Conservation Group
Steve began his sea angling adventures off the Essex coast in the early 1980s with Bob Cox and John Rawle who were revolutionising inshore sea Angling with their new uptiding technique. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna have in recent years become a major focus of Steve including the pursuit of a sustainable, scientifically supported recreational fishery in the U.K. He is founder of the Bluefin Tuna UK Campaign and is also Conservation officer for the Sportfishing Club of the British Isles. Steve was the lead RSA representative in the six-month long consultation with DEFRA that led to the English CHART program approval for autumn 2021.
Dr. Bryce Stewart
University of York
Bryce is an Australian marine ecologist and fisheries biologist who moved to the UK in 1999. He did his PhD on predatory coral reef fish on the Great Barrier Reef and is now based at the University of York where he is a Senior Lecturer. The central goal of his research has been to better understand the factors regulating marine populations and ecosystems, so as to ensure their conservation and sustainable utilisation. Bryce is delighted to now be working with recreational anglers, who are key stakeholders that have so much knowledge to offer to science and conservation.
Dr. Paul Somerfield
Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Paul undertakes scientific research and disseminates information through peer reviewed papers, reports, training, student supervision and other means. He has authored and co-authored >140 peer-reviewed papers (ISI h-score 44) and >10 books and book chapters. His research investigates the distribution and functioning of biodiversity, particularly through the novel integration and analysis of compiled data to understand large-scale and long-term processes, and their implications for the ways in which we understand and model systems. He is Theme Leader for Biological Dynamics within the national capability programme Climate Linked Atlantic Sector Science (CLASS). He was science coordinator and lead PI of the UK Marine Ecosystems Research Programme.
Bite Blog
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22 November 2021
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27 July 2021
Shark Hub UK: Porbeagle Point of…
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06 July 2021
The Blue Shark: Wanderer of the…
“They’re beautiful – God, how beautiful they are! They’re an impossibly pe…
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25 June 2021
Angling for Shark Science: Launch of…
Launching today, Shark Hub UK is an exciting partnership between the recreational shark angling comm…
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12 March 2021
Survey for recreational sea anglers targeting…
Through a new collaborative partnership with the Angling Trust, Shark Angling Club of Great Britain…
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