Sharks caught in River Mersey estuary as wildlife flourishes

The smooth-hound shark is among 37 fish species recorded in the Mersey Estuary

A flurry of shark species have been caught in the River Mersey estuary as anglers recorded a huge surge in fish populations.

Smooth-hound, starry smooth-hound and bull huss sharks were all found in stretches between Howley Weir in Warrington and Perch Rock, Wirral.

The sharks were among 37 fish species recorded by the Mersey Rivers Trust.

The trust said "species diversity" had more than doubled over the last 20 years.

The last time a survey was carried out, in 2002, only 15 species of fish were found.

In this latest report, fish caught included cod, whiting, bass, flounder, plaice and thornback ray - among many others.

'Amazing recovery'

Mike Duddy, the trust's senior project manager, said the survey results were "amazing" especially as the river was considered "biologically dead" in the 1970s and 1980s.

He said: "The river was full of industrial pollution and sewage, it was possibly the most polluted river in Europe at the time.

"That continued until about 1985 and since then there's been billions of pounds spent on wastewater treatment works in the region.

"That's prompted this remarkable recovery. Everyone says that our wildlife is in decline, that's actually the opposite in the Mersey where wildlife is on this rapid improvement curve."

Mr Duddy said he expected to see even more species recorded throughout 2023 as more anglers take part in the survey.

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