JAWS... OF CORNWALL
Fisherman is airlifted to hospital after being bitten by shark off British coast
‘The crew did a really good job’
A FISHERMAN had to be airlifted to hospital after being bitten by a razor-toothed shark as it thrashed around on the deck of his trawler off Land’s End.
The monster porbeagle – a close relative of the man-eating great white – had been accidentally hauled aboard the boat in one of its fishing nets.
The four-man crew of the 75ft trawler were desperately trying to release the beast back into the water when Max Berryman, 21, was bitten on the leg – his second close encounter with a porbeagle onboard in one year.
He suffered five deep wounds that cut down as far as the muscle, one of them nearly ten inches long on the side of his knee.
His quick-thinking crewmates sterilised and dressed his wounds and then sealed them with superglue and tape. But realising he needed further medical attention, they radioed the Coastguard and a helicopter was scrambled from a base in Newquay.
Dramatic pictures show paramedic Julian Williams being lowered on to the boat on Sunday morning before winching Mr Berryman into the helicopter.
The fisherman, from Penzance, was airlifted to Royal Cornwall Hospital, 120 miles from the boat’s location west of Land’s End. Yesterday Mr Williams said: ‘The crew had done a really good job of dressing the wounds before we arrived.’
Mr Berryman’s family have been by his bedside at the hospital. His grandmother-in-law Valerie Richards said: ‘He had his operation last night. I saw the photos of his leg, it looked terrible. He is supposed to be coming home some time and he is OK.’
Alex Greig, of Falmouth Coastguard, said: ‘The shark had been caught in nets that the fishing vessel was hauling back on board.
‘Unfortunately it was dragged up on deck and obviously wasn’t very happy with that so attacked whatever was nearby. Thanks to the efforts of the crew onboard and their swift actions in treating the wounds and contacting us, we were able to arrange the evacuation of the crew member promptly and get him to hospital.’
Mr Berryman has been part of the crew on the trawler, the Govenek of Ladram, for two years.
A year ago he was pictured with another, smaller porbeagle that had also been caught in the nets. Photographer Tony Fitzsimmons, who spent a week with the crew, said: ‘I am assuming the one that bit him was much bigger than this one.
‘They are not fishing for this, it is mainly for hake around here. It is not a common occurrence at all and is just one of those freak things that have happened.’
He added: ‘This particular crew were a fantastic bunch and knew what they were doing.
‘Max is in hospital and I only spoke to him briefly and all he said was, “Just make sure you use a good picture of me”.’
Porbeagles can grow up to 12ft, weigh as much as 600lb and are capable of a top speed of 20mph.
Despite their formidable teeth and likeness to the great white, they are not considered a threat to humans. In British waters they are normally found at least ten miles offshore where they hunt for mackerel, herring, squid, cod, whiting and flatfish.
The largest porbeagle found in British waters was caught in May 2012 off north Cornwall, weighing 550lb and thought to be a pregnant female.