Fisherman lands first-ever 'lost' Lego shark

Richard West was told the Lego shark he found was the first recovered from the lost shipping container

A fisherman from Devon has landed the first shark of its kind - one made of Lego lost at sea off a cargo ship 27 years ago.

Richard West, a 35-year-old fisherman living in Plymouth, found the plastic toy on the top of his fishing nets 20 miles (32km) south of Penzance on Tuesday.

He contacted the project Lego Lost at Sea, whose founder Tracey Williams confirmed the piece to be the first-ever reported shark from the 51,800 Lego sharks lost off the Tokio Express cargo ship on 13 February 1997.

A freak wave in a severe gale swept 62 shipping containers into the sea 20 miles (32km) off Land's End, one of which held 4,756,940 pieces of Lego, much of it sea-themed.

Richard West said he recognised the Lego shark immediately

Mr West was trawling on board the Defiant FY848, which sails between Plymouth, Brixham and Newlyn, for monkfish, sole and doreys, when he landed his unique catch.

He said: "I could tell straight away what it was because I had Lego sharks in the pirate ship set when I was little. I loved them.

"It's been 25 years since I've seen that face."

He contacted Ms Williams who told him it was the first recorded Lego shark found from the spilled cargo that she had encountered.

She told him the official Lego inventory showed that 22,200 dark grey Lego sharks and 29,600 light grey ones were in the lost container.

'It's treasure!'

The founder of the Lego Lost at Sea project said a total of 51,800 Lego sharks were known to be in the container swept overboard the Tokio Express

Mr West said: "I was so excited. I was more happy about finding the shark that anything else I caught this week.

"It's priceless - it's treasure!"

Ms Williams said: "This Lego shark is one of 51,800 lost overboard from the Tokio Express and the only one we’ve ever seen.

"Richard and I now have joint custody of the shark."

Ms Williams said Lego pieces from the Tokio Express have been found as far away as Ireland

The Lego sharks featured in several Lego sets from 1997, including Shark Cage Cove, Shark Attack and Deep Sea Bounty, she explained.

She asked anyone else who has found Lego from the spill to get in touch with the Lego Lost at Sea project so it could be added to the project's map, which is recording sightings for a scientific paper on the Lego spill.

Recently Lego from the container lost overboard has been found not just in Cornwall but in the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Wales and Ireland, she added.