SACGB HISTORY

The Shark Angling Club of Great Britain (SACGB) was formed in Looe, Cornwall in 1953 by the late Brigadier J. L. Caunter CBE MC and quickly became established as the top venue for angling for Sharks on rod and line in the UK.

It has a worldwide membership. The main purpose of the SACGB is to promote the sport of Shark Angling in Great Britain, with a mind to conservation, and provide the Members with an organisation which is regarded as the central authority in Great Britain for this sport. Also to maintain and publish annually, records of all Sharks estimated or weighing 45.45kgs (100lbs) or over caught by Members from boats operating from the British Isles and by Members fishing from foreign ports.

The Club also offers Associate membership for anglers catching sharks under the qualifying size for Full Membership.

Conservation

Since 1998 the SACGB has operated a tag and release programme whereby the Sharks are tagged before being returned to the sea.

The SACGB is part of the NMFS Cooperative Shark Tagging Programme, based in America. This tagging programme has been running since 1962 and during that time, over 243,000 sharks of 52 species have been tagged and more than 14,000 sharks of 33 species have been recaptured.

The research has provided the programme with valuable information as to the migration route the Sharks take in the Atlantic Ocean, how far they travel and their growth rate and the information has and is being used in the conservation of Sharks. When a tagged Shark is recaptured, usually by commercial fishermen, the tag is returned to the Research programme for them to log the information This has proved very successful and helps with the conservation of Sharks worldwide. To find out more about this programme, please visit their webpage here