Great White Shark
Carcharodon carcharias
The largest predatory fish alive and the holder of the heaviest IGFA all-tackle record of any species. Protected across most of its range — this listing is history, not a target.
Also known as: White shark · White pointer
World record
Alfred Dean · Ceduna, Australia · 1959
Overview
- Scientific name
- Carcharodon carcharias
- Family
- Lamnidae
- Max length
- 20' 0"
- Typical length
- 15' 1"
- Max weight
- 4,409 lb
- Depth range
- 0–1200 m
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable
- Difficulty
- Expert
- Fight
- Table quality
How to catch it
Protected in Australia, South Africa, the USA, the EU and elsewhere. Do not target. Cage diving and tagging programmes are the legitimate way to meet one.
How big does it get?
What turns up on an ordinary day, and what a very good one looks like. Almost nobody catches a maximum-size fish — this is the honest spread.
1.8 m angler
Character
What this fish is actually like to catch.
Where it lives
Its band in the water column, against the ocean's real depth zones.
When to fish for it
Relative catch activity through the year, northern hemisphere.
Distribution
Trophy Score of all :n logged catches of this species. A score means nothing until you can see the population behind it.
Top catches on FishRankings
The heaviest of this species recorded by our community.
Nobody has logged one yet. Claim the top spot.
Log a catch4 Related species
| Species | Species | Worth | Max length | World record | Depth zone | Fight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shortfin Mako Isurus oxyrinchus | 302 | 14' 7" | 1,221 lb | Sunlit zone Saltwater | Endangered | |
| Porbeagle Lamna nasus | 276 | 11' 12" | 507 lb | Sunlit zone Saltwater | Vulnerable | |
| Tiger Shark Galeocerdo cuvier | 309 | 24' 3" | 1,785 lb | Sunlit zone Saltwater | Near threatened | |
| Black Marlin Istiompax indica | 300 | 15' 3" | 1,560 lb | Sunlit zone Saltwater | Data deficient |
"Worth" is what a catch of that species is worth before any of your own skill counts — higher means harder to find and harder to beat.