Tope: Galeorhinus galeus

Tope sharks (fig. 1) are found all over the globe, but are less common in the East of the UK than the South and West (Wildlife Trusts, n.d.). They tend to move between open waters and coastal locations, with females moving nearer land to give birth. (Shark Trust, 2020). 

Worldwide, they are classed as critically endangered (IUCN Red List, 2020). This is a result of their historical importance on the shark meat, fin and liver oil markets, being fished on a large scale (Shark Trust, 2020). As such, they are also commonly known as soupfin sharks and liver-oil sharks (Shark Trust, 2020). 

As of 2008, commercial tope fishing was prohibited in the UK (UK Government, 2020). However, years of overfishing combined with the species’ three-year reproductive cycle (Shark Trust, 2020) has left it highly vulnerable.