Fishy facts Sharks in Europe and beyond

 The great white is the largest predatory fish on Earth, and females grow bigger than males at up to six metres.

 There have been 54 unprovoked shark attacks in Europe since 1847, including two in the UK.  In 2017 there were 88 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide – 60 per cent in the United States and 35 per cent in the state of Florida alone.

 Great whites are responsible for just under a third of attacks worldwide, according to the International Shark Attack File.

 There are at least 46 species of shark in the Mediterranean.  There have been 25 unprovoked shark attacks in Spain since 1900, eight of them fatal.