Sharks in Sweden

There are approximately 15 or so sharks in Swedish waters. Common species reported regularly include the basking shark and the Greenland shark. Both the spiny dogfish and the portbeagle shark used to be a lot more common regionally, but as a result of overfishing, they are now both designated as “Critically Endangered” or “CR” by the IUCN.

Sharks in Sweden

List of the Different Types of Sharks in Sweden

Species Maximum Size Aggressiveness
Angel Shark 4-7 feet Moderately aggressive
Basking SharkBasking Shark 23-30 feet Not aggressive
Blackmouth CatsharkBlackmouth Catshark 2-2.2 feet Not aggressive
Blue SharkBlue Shark 6-11 feet Not aggressive
Common Thresher Shark 12-18 feet Not aggressive
Greenland SharkGreenland Shark 7.9–14.1 feet Not aggressive
Nursehound Shark 4.3-5.2 feet Not aggressive
Oceanic Whitetip Shark 10-13 feet Highly Aggressive
Porbeagle Shark 6-12 feet Not aggressive
School Shark 6-7 feet Not aggressive
Small Spotted Catshark 2.5-3 feet Not aggressive
Spiny Dogfish 2.5-3.5 feet Not aggressive (due to their small size)
Starry Smooth-hound 4-4.7 feet Not aggressive
Velvet Belly Lanternshark 1-2 feet Not aggressive

Recent Cases of Shark Attacks in Sweden >>

FAQs

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The only recorded shark attack in Swedish waters was a non-fatal incident where a fisher was attacked in the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea.

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While the oceans around Sweden aren’t warm enough for great white sharks to live in, with rising temperatures resulting from global warming, one cannot discard the sudden appearance of a great white shark in the Baltic Sea.
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SharkSider Editorial Team

We write about sharks because we genuinely love the subject and spend a lot of time following new research and discoveries in marine biology. Our goal is to make shark information easy to understand and keep it as accurate and updated as possible. Each page on SharkSider is reviewed by our team so readers get clear, reliable explanations without the noise.

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