Tope Information And Facts.
Scientific Name: Galeorhinus Galeus
Maximum Weight: 85lb (39kg)
Maximum Length: 6ft (1.8m)
Average Weight Caught: 35lb (16kg)
Life Span: 25 + Years
The Tope have a white underside and a blue grey topside. They have large pectoral fins and no scales like other species in the shark family. With large eyes and excellent sense of smell they are excellent predetors. The mouth has rows of serrated teeth. Like other sharks they are fast swimmers.
British Boat Record: 82lb (1991)
British Shore Record: 58lb 2oz(1982)
Irish Boat Record: 66lb 8oz
Welsh Boat Record: 74lb 11oz (1964)
Tope are found in;
The English Channel.
The Irish Sea.
Iceland.
The Tope is a member of the blue shark family and the man eating tiger shark, it is a powerful fish and makes for excellent sport.
THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE TOPE.
Sharks bear their young in many ways. The Tope bears live young. The topes gestation period is ten months to a year. The mature female tope move in to shallow waters and give birth to around twenty pups. The young are around 15cm long and form schools and feed on crustaceans and fish
TOPE FEEDING HABITS.
The tope are equipt to be excellent hunters with their large eyes and excellent sense of smell. The serrated teeth make them lethal ambush artists. Find whiting, mackeral and pouting and tope are likely to be around. They also feed on eels flatfishand crabs.
FINDING THE TOPE.
The common thought is that tope can be found over sand in the summer months however this is not exactly true as the tope can be found over gravel areas with many boulders and rough ground.
Tope are solitary and this is true most of the time however schools of tope can be found together over favoured hunting grounds this is the lure of food and not the fact the tope is a social beast.
HOW TO HANDLE A TOPE.
Tope need care when handled as out of the water their weight can cause damage to their vital organs indeed a badly handled tope can be returned and bleed to death so fishermen handle with care.
The Tope Vital Statistics.
Knowing Your Tope.
Tope Records.
Top Tope Waters.