Shark spotted off the coast of Hartlepool

A shark has got fins wagging after it was spotted in the waters off Hartlepool Marina.

The starry smooth-hound shark normally swims to a depth of around 200m and has recently been seen swimming off the North East coast.

The On Water team at Hartlepool Marina have been keeping a regular eye out after being sent snaps of the shark, which they say is harmless to humans.

Factfile:

According to the British Sea Fishing website smooth-hounds are a shallow water shark species, which favour sandy, shingle and light broken ground. They live in relatively shallow water and regularly come close enough to land to be targeted by the shore angler. Once a species that was predominantly found to the south and west of the British Isles, the range of smooth-hound has been increasing – they are now caught with some regularity from the coasts of Cumbria and Yorkshire, and have been often spotted in the North East.Smoouth-hounds scour the seabed for crustaceans such as crabs, lobsters and hermit crabs and will also eat shellfish. They will eat fish on occasions.Rather than the typical sharp shark-like teeth the smooth-hound has blunt but powerful crushing plates. This lack of teeth leads to the smooth-hounds alternative name of gummy shark.