Predators can grow to 9ft

■Some 40 species of shark can be found in British waters, with 21 living in our seas all year round

■ Attacks in the UK are exceptionally rare. Most are on fishermen attempting to land or release a shark. Around 70 attacks occur worldwide each year

■ A blue shark attacked a fisherman in 2008 as he hauled it into his boat off Lundy Island, Devon, for a photo. Bleeding heavily, he was airlifted to hospital

■ Blue sharks are highly migratory and can travel 5,700 miles in one trip. They visit the UK in summer

■ The largest caught in UK seas weighed 256lb and measured over 9ft

■ The great white – of Jaws fame – has never been documented in UK waters