The all-white dogfish, which measured around 3 feet, is leucistic, a condition that means it lost all its skin pigment, and was caught near the Isle of Wight.
Jason Gillespie pictured with his incredible catch (Image: Gillespie Family/SWNS)
The first all-white albino shark caught in British waters was caught near the Isle of Wight.
Jason Gillespie, 50, caught the all-white dogfish shark while deep sea fishing with some friends.
The shark, which measured around one metre, is leucistic, a condition that means it has lost all the pigment in its skin.
Jason, from Waterlooville, Hampshire, would usually immediately release a dogfish, but brought it on board so he could take a few snaps before releasing it, reports LeicestershireLive.
The tent fitter said: “I’ve been fishing for 30 years and I’ve never seen one like this. Apparently it is a condition in which the pigment disappears from the skin color.
Jason Gillespie caught the all-white dogfish shark while deep sea fishing with some friends (Image: Gillespie Family/SWNS)
“It is similar to an albino, but they generally have red eyes.
“Caught it on Tuesday, off the Isle of Wight, what are the chances? I have no idea. It is the fish of a lifetime, one in a million.
“I’ve certainly never seen one, it’s been on Facebook since Tuesday and no one else has come forward and said they’ve caught one.
“I heard of someone from Wales who caught one years ago, but it was much smaller, about 6lb.
The shark was around 3 feet (Image: Gillespie Family/SWNS)
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“I think generally if they lose color, they struggle to survive because they don’t have the same camouflage and they can’t hunt as effectively and predators pick them up.
“With the dogfish, they are a protected species so we unhooked them in the water, but the moment we saw this one I shouted to my partner to grab the net and I knew I needed to take some photos so we brought it on board . and took some photos.
“We freed her as quickly as possible, she was only in the boat for less than a minute.”
The dogfish feeds on a variety of species of fish, crustaceans or cephalopods, and can travel great distances.
They are often found in the United Kingdom and can travel from Great Britain to the Canary Islands.
