Tony,
Chinese do not hunt for whales.
These are the Japanese.
Yes they do eat the meat, but the meat is contaminated by heavy metals... I think I heard some schools recently refused to serve that meat due to that...

As far as Chinese are concerned, they are responsible for the killing of millions of sharks which are killed only for their fins. These fins enter in the composition of shark fin soup which is served in Asian restaurants and considered as such a delicacy that a single bowl can reach US$ 100.

marsupilami, Boulogne, FRANCE

Get over it Bob, being born is a fatal disease. I'm sure the shark never asked any of the fish if they'd mind being eaten.

Chopper, Sydney,

How can we complain to China about there Whaleing ships going out after a 40 year ban Now? Whales, Sharks, we take what we want, this shark is not even going to be eaten, at least china eat there Whale catches, It now would be hypocritical too force them to stop whaleing.

tony castle, Ploermel, France

Is it a shame just because it's bigger or more magnificent than other fish? Fish can't consent to be killed?

As bad as vegetarians

Conor, London,

Could this catch be the first wave of a terrifying new breed of super-shark?! Only time will tell!

Scott Millson, Toronto, Canada

How sad...a beautiful creature sold for £340. What is the planet coming to? Does no-one care about conservation?
I assume that the shark could not be returned to the sea?
Do people really get a sense of achievement and pleasure from such events?

Dr. G. Williams, Stockport, England

Fantastic! A rare specimen, probably been growing for years, hauled from the sea alive. And killed!!! The sooner we exterminate ourselves with pollution, disease and war the better.

Mark Taylor, London,

perhaps that you should also mention that shark populations are in sharp decline.It never ceases to amaze me how any item about sharks size/ferocity etc is published but very few about their endangered status

pg, salop,

I agree with William and Brien also. The fisherman was not looking for a shark, he caught one, killed it and brought it home, and now it looks like no one is going to eat it either !

So basically you have killed a giant shark at sea just so that you can stuff it and hang it somewhere for people to see.

Maybe it's freezing cold out there at sea, but lads try to use your brains a little as well when you decide what to take back home.

CSRG, Aveiro, Portugal

Is there no respect for animals like this shark? Or is your ego just a little bit bigger?

Marion van Baak, Zaandam, Holland

Brien, this was caught by a trawlerman, not an angler. The sporting element is not relevant here.

Dave, London, UK

The way the fishermen pose with the shark strung up on by a piece of rope makes me sick. Would it be acceptable in this day and age for someone brandishing a rifle to be seen posing in this manner with an endangered tiger. Sharks are magnificent creatures too and need to be protected. Not put on display to satisfy someone's macho pride!

Mark Guthrie, London,

Shouldn't the previous record be the 400kg specimen also caught in cornish waters rather than the 329kg one caught in Hawaii?

Nicholas Joshua Law, Singapore, Singapore

To Brien Comerford, Glenview, United States who wrote:
"The shark did not agree to be killed. ..Boxing is a bona fide sport because the two fighters agree to engage in combat."
I like this approach with a lot of humanity and fairness.
I guess that half million killed agreed to be killed in Iraq as well 2 million refuges.

Bob, Kelowna,

Sharks are over-hunted by the million...I find it sad that yet one more healthy breeding specimen has been killed for show when they could have simply let it go and had a fiberglass replica made...Shame on these fishermen. They should know better.

Natasha, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

This is such a tragic waste of the not so common, common thresher shark. Once fond quite regularly around british waters this magnificent fish is becoming endangered as pressure for its meat and in particular it's fins around the world is placing an unsustainable pressure on this and indeed other, once abundant sharks. Sharks born 400 million years ago....extinct 2000?

Rob Breskal, brighton, uk

This is really sad.
All three species of thresher shark are listed as vulnerable by the World conservation Union.
Sharks are amazing creatures and have lived on this Earth for millions of years. Long before us.
Instead of this being reported as good exciting news it should of been reported as yet another tragic day for sharks.
This fisherman should be ashamed of himself, this magnificent animal should of been released immediately.

Rachael Kirby, Darlington, UK

It's tragic that a magnificent creature like this is taken from the wild. If he was not fishing for sharks (who would be?) why did he simply not release it from the net. In a sense, you are glorifying what he has done.

William Smith, Cape Town,

This is not impressive. Fishing is not a true sport. The shark did not agree to be killed. Boxing is a bona fide sport because the two fighters agree to engage in combat.

Brien Comerford, Glenview, United States

They are also considered vulnerable to extinction, according to the WWFN and thanks to this man.....

Falanx, Birmingham,

How depressing that a "quality" newspaper should write such a story without so much as a hint of concern. Sadly all three thresher shark species have been listed as vulnerable to extinction by the World Conservation Union. Shame on Times-on-Line. The shark should have been instantly thrown back alive and if it was too late for that then the story should have been one of sadness not of triumph. "Two Threshers caught this month off Cornwall..." at this rate there may not be many more. We still have a lot to learn.

Keith, Brussels,

And now its dead. What a huge loss.

Karen Palfrey, Brighton, West Sussex

Why didn't they just take a photo and release the poor thing back in the sea? Surely seeing this animal in its natural habitat is far better than seeing it dead.

It's stories like this which make me hope that humans are doomed - we are a foul, parasitic species.

Olly, Cambridge, England

How sad that people still get so excited about killing sharks - one of the most endangered species in the marine world. They are apex predators, and so cannot sustain being harvested by man. Even more pathetic is that the 400kg shark mentioned at the end of the article was sold for only £340 - that's 85 pence per kilo. Surely it is far better to let these magnificent creatures go free when they become tangled in ropes or nets - the fisherman himself says that the shark was alive when he brought up his nets - than slaughter them for such small sums of money

Nikolai Shepherd, London,

i would have liked to have seen this Beast of a shark. it would have been amazing, i have always wanted to go scuba-diving with sharks, but i think i'm going to have scuba-diving lessons soon. and then we go of all over the world.but it would of been good to see this thresher shark.

Kate Le Brun, Bredons Norton , U.K