Washed ashore on Lewis – can Great White be far behind?

The pregnant 6ft-long female was discovered by Martin Scott, the RSPB’s conservation officer for the Western Isles, just days before a team of experts is to search the seas around the isles for Great White sharks.

The isles are believed to one of two “clusters” in UK waters for sightings of Great Whites.

The Blue shark was found at Barvas beach on the west side of the Isle of Lewis.

Mr Scott recovered its body at the weekend, and the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth England wants it for tests.

“It was quite a shock,” said Mr Scott, 41.

“I was walking along the beach when I noticed something in the seaweed. At first I thought it was a dead seal. It was only when I got close to it and kicked off the seaweed I saw it was a 6ft-long shark with big teeth. Fortunately, it was dead.

“There have been reports of another Blue shark being found on a beach on Barra last year and other sightings over the years, too.

He added: “It was quite a surprise, but just shows what is in our seas. We don’t know why it died. That will be part of the research for the national aquarium.”

Last month, Ian Redmond from Lancashire was killed by in a shark attack while on his Indian Ocean honeymoon in the Seychelles.

Although there has been a number of attacks on humans attributed to Blue sharks around the world – and a small number of fatalities – there has been no record of any such open water attack in the UK.

However, in 2008, a fisherman underwent reconstructive surgery after becoming the first person to be bitten by a Blue shark off the British coast.

Stephen Perkins, 52, had just hauled the beast into his boat two miles off the west coast of Lundy Island for a commemorative photograph when it sunk its teeth into his forearm.

He was flown to hospital and underwent extensive surgery.

Experts who believe Great Whites could be in the waters off the Outer Hebrides are planning a search. Richard Peirce, chairman of the Shark Conservation Society, will lead the expedition, starting on 16 September.

He said Blue sharks were commonly found in British waters, but mainly further south.

“They are summer visitors. Generally speaking you wouldn’t see a Blue shark unless you were six miles plus offshore,” he said. He added one of the two clusters of “credible” Great White shark sightings in the UK was the waters around the Western Isles.

“I believe we get occasional vagrant visiting Great Whites in our waters,” he said. “There are certainly enough seals in the Outer Hebrides – which is a staple food for them – and we will be visiting in the pupping season.”

Blue sharks have a slender body, a long, rounded snout and very long, pointed pectoral fins. It is a distinct metallic blue on the back and flanks. A pelagic species (living in open ocean), the Blue shark can be found from the surface to at least 1,800 feet. It has a preference for temperate and subtropical waters.

The Outer Hebrides is towards the most northerly part of their known range. They feed primarily on small fish and squid, although they can take larger prey.

Thought to be the most heavily fished shark, the Blue shark is hunted for fins for the Asian market – mainly for shark fin soup.

However, in the northeast Atlantic, the Blue shark is covered by EC regulations which prevent the removal of fins at sea and the subsequent discard of the body. They live as far north as Norway and as far south as Chile. Nicknamed “wolves of the sea”, they can grow to 12.5ft long and can weigh up to 450lbs.