There are 2 Lamna species . Lamna nasus, and Lamna ditropis.   In New England, and across the Atlantic to the British Isles and  Europe, and on into the Mediterranean,  we have the Porbeagle, Lamna nasus.   In the southern hemisphere the porbeagle, Lamna nasus is also found in the southern areas of South America, Africa and Australia.  Preferring cooler waters, the "Beagles" avoid the warm water areas around the equator.  A Canadian longliner Capt. told a friend of mine who was onboard, that they have actually longlined porbeagles in 32 deg. water. That is about 4 degs. above the freezing point of saltwater.   The preferred set for a longliner targeting porbeagles is 40- 50 deg. water.

The porbeagles were decimated by the Norwegians fishing in the Northwest Atlantic, and Canadian waters during the 1960s.  In 1961 the Norwegians started a longlining operation for porbeagles , about 1900 tons were landed that year.  By 1964 it peaked at 9400 tons.  Then it collapsed to less than 1,000 tons in 1969.   (The Faeroe Islanders also fished for porbeagles during that period, and long thereafter but the Faeroe catch is insignificant compared to the Norwegian effort. )   The graph below shows how unrestricted longlining of a targeted species can  decimate the stock in less than a decade.  Take a look at the graph from 1961 through 1967. 

Although a fast swimmer, the porbeagles are not a continuous jumper like some of the hooked makos.  But certainly they have the speed to clear the water, and do so on some occasions.  Unlike the solitary makos, porbeagles may arrive at the boat in a group of 4 or 5.   But don't expect to catch them all; they can be very finicky.  Porbeagles want live food, more so than a mako or a blue.  You can easily get a mako or a blue to take a bluefish, or mackerel fillet, but sometimes a porbeagle will ignore the bait, even when they have other competing sharks swimming with them.   In my opinion the porbeagle is our most difficult shark to hook.   

Porbeagle populations in Mass. Bay and Maine increase in June and early July.    A few hang around in the summer months but during the summer stay in the cooler water below the top of the thermocline, which is down about 40-50 feet in the summer.  Struggling cod being reeled up from the bottom during late June and July produce a lot of porbeagle hookups.   In June and early July, before the surface water warms up, porbeagles regularly swim above the top of the thermocline and grab tuna fishermen's trolled mackerel or squid trains.   Many porbeagles caught then by tuna and cod fishermen will be incorrectly identified as a mako.  

I received this e- mail on July 6th 2001.

A couple of weeks ago, we were fishing for stripers out on Stellwagen on the
xxxxx out of Brant Rock, when we saw a dorsal fin up ahead of the boat.
Next thing you know, one rod gets a hit, then another rod goes immediately
afterward.  After a minute or so, the line on the first rod breaks, but we
still had this shark on the other rod.
We fought with this creature for almost an hour, six of us taking turns at
for about five to ten minutes apiece, when finally, when I was holding the
rod, with all the wire out, all the mono was out and we were down to the
backing, the knot came undone. we lost our catch with two umbrella rigs in
his mouth.
Capt xxxx believes we had a porbeagle and was surprised we kept him on that
long. If we had managed to bring it in, it most likely would have been the
end of our striper trip.
I enjoyed the shark info on your page and wanted to relay the story to you
because hooking that porbeagle is an experience that neither myself or my
fishing buddies will soon forget.

In August and September porbeagles spend time in the coastal cooler waters of Maine.  There are not many people who know about the porbeagle, and that the population of “Beagles” increases again in Mass. Bay when the water cools in October through December.     Most sport fishing boats are hauled out in mid October when the marinas close, so no one is sport fishing for them when they are back in the area.   In December you can fish for them within a few miles of the shore.

  With half the harbor iced in, I have seen them caught in gill nets in late December, just a few miles east of my hometown, Scituate Mass.  The gill netters don't target porbeagles, but the “beagles” get wrapped in the gill nets when they go in after a struggling fish caught in the net. 

Most of the IGFA world record porbeagles are caught in England and Scotland. Those records can be challenged in New England waters.

Scotland holds the IGFA all tackle record with a 507 lb. porbeagle.   In Dec., 1999 a Canadian longliner targeting porbeagles, took several over 500 lbs. as part of their catch.  The two heaviest weighed 611 and 613 pounds. Some of that group of porbeagles make it into our New England waters.  

The Maine state record porbeagle weighed in at 548 lbs.  That's heavier than the IGFA  507 lb. record.

A lucky New Englander could set a new IGFA porbeagle record if it is caught under IGFA rules.