A shark, believed to be the largest in British history, was caught and released by anglers off the coast of Boscastle, Cornwall, the BBC reported.

The shark has been identified as a porbeagle, and member of the white shark family. It is estimated to be 10ft (3m) long and weighing 550lbs (250kg), according to the BBC.

I don't think anyone has seen a shark that big in British waters - it's certainly the largest rod-caught shark anyone has seen, The Angling Trust's marine environmental campaigns manager, David Mitchell, told Sky News Online

It was by no means an easy catch. It took the anglers about 90 minutes to reel in the fish as it dragged their boat for more than a mile.

Wayne Comben and Graeme Pullen from Hampshire caught the great white, but because they released it, their catch was only recorded as a notable fish catch as opposed to a record breaking catch.

It would have been morally unethical to kill the fish to claim the official record, David Gibson of the National Marine Aquarium told the BBC.

Pullen explained that the shark was in a feeding frenzy after they released it and dropped it some bait. The type of shark isn't known to be a threat to humans and usually does not come inshore as it is known to be quite shy.

With an animal listed as vulnerable and under such immense pressure as the porbeagle, it would be morally unethical to kill it. It's great it's been released and [tagging] contributes to greater scientific knowledge, Pullen said.

The existing British shark record stands at 507lbs.