Three young tope sharks were caught around 23 kilometres off the Belgian coast in late September 2026. According to the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), the catch took place aboard the research vessel Simon Stevin. Two of the sharks received implanted transmitters so researchers can study their movements and habitat use.
The two females and one male were 55 to 60 centimetres long. They are tope sharks (Galeorhinus galeus).
A rare record with unanswered questions
According to VLIZ, ILVO’s beam-trawl surveys have not caught a tope shark since 1985. This does not, however, establish that the species has been entirely absent from Belgian waters.
The significance of the latest record also remains uncertain: three juveniles alone demonstrate neither a nursery area nor a growing population.
ELASMON combines transmitters and underwater cameras
The catch is part of the ELASMON project, carried out by ILVO together with VLIZ and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Running from September 2024 to August 2027, the project aims to fill gaps in knowledge about the distribution and habitat use of sharks and rays in the Belgian North Sea.
The researchers are bringing together existing data, using acoustic telemetry and developing methods involving baited underwater cameras. This combination should reveal where the animals spend time and which areas matter for their protection. The tope sharks’ transmitters may provide new observations; the announcement does not yet include results on their movements.
Our article about tope sharks off Borkum also illustrates the importance of examining different parts of the North Sea. The Belgian catch is a separate record and cannot automatically be assigned to the same nursery area.