‘We have really cool sharks,” says Dr Lucy Hawkes. She is not referring to animals in the rich coastal waters of South Africa or Mexico, but instead talking about the species that live around Britain. Hawkes, an associate professor at the University of Exeter, is co-leading a new three-year project to investigate the lives of three of England’s most vulnerable shark species.

“I like the porbeagle, which looks like a baby great white shark,” she says. “Surfers could see one and absolutely poop their pants, but they’re not dangerous. It’s amazing that we share the water with some pretty exciting animals.”

More sharks swim in British waters than you might expect. From small catsharks and deepwater dogfish to migratory blue sharks and huge filter-feeding basking sharks, there are more than 40 different types in these waters. Yet scientists know surprisingly little about most of them.