An aggressive shark normally found in the Pacific or off the warm waters of Africa at this time of year has been caught in the nets of a Kerry fishing vessel off Fastnet Rock.
The sevengill, or cow shark, was brought up on Tuesday morning in the nets of the HollyB, owned by John O'Donnell of Cloghane, and it was presented to a rare fish expert attached to the Mara Beo aquarium in An Daingean. The fish, a female, was already dead and is now on its way to the Museum of Natural History.
The sevengill's predator is the great white, and its presence in Irish inshore waters has led to speculation the great whites are on their way here.
Department of the Marine officer and exotic and rare fish expert Kevin Flannery, based in An Daingean, said great whites had already been spotted off Cornwall and "when you get this shark, it's only a matter of time before the great whites appear," he said of the sevengill's presence.
Sea temperatures here were "well up" this year, Mr Flannery said. There had been a two degree increase in temperatures in waters in the southwest in recent years. This was "a major, colossal" increase.
The sevengill is the latest exotic creature to appear in Irish waters off the southwest this year alone.
Tropical puffer fish and other warm water species had already made an appearance, Mr Flannery said.