A FISHERMAN has been bitten by a shark off the coast of Lundy Island.

Stephen Perkins, aged 52, from South Glamorgan was bitten on his forearm by a Blue Shark two miles east of the island on Saturday afternoon .

Mr Perkins said: "We don't harm the sharks when we hook them – we just take a picture and put them back in the water.

"The one I got was pretty lively and having put its jaw around my wrist it then let go.

"The scariest bit to be honest was going up in the helicopter. It won't put me off fishing again – next time I will remember to pick the shark up by the blunt end."

RMB Chivenor's A Flight 22 Squadron search and rescue picked up the fisherman — who was bleeding a lot according to rescuers — and flew him to North Devon District Hospital.

Mr Perkins was transferred from the Barnstaple hospital to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital on Sunday.

He underwent surgery to repair the crush and rip damage to his forearm, but there was no bone or muscle damage.

He is expected to be discharged today .

Mr Perkins was on his boat Serenity with a friend when he got bitten.

Blue sharks rarely attack humans and it is believed there have only been four recorded fatalities.

Blue sharks are light-bodied with long pectoral fins, with a deep blue top and white underside.

They can grow to 3.8m or more and typically weigh 136kg.

They are found off the coasts of every continent, except for Antartica and feed on squid and cuttlefish.

Andrew Alsop from White Water Charters has been running shark fishing trips off the Wales coast and in the Bristol Channel for six years and has 10 years experience of catching Blue Sharks.

He said: "Once a Blue Shark bites, like a crocodile, they don't let go - they will turn and twist and can take big chunks of flesh. Blue Sharks are strong and have really sharp teeth - you need to be experienced in reeling them in.

"This type of incident is quite rare, but shark fishing is becoming more popular. More anglers that aren't used to handling sharks are going out and reeling in sharks into private vessels with not much experience."

Andrew's boats and hooks are specifically designed for shark fishing and the company has reeled in more than 2,000 of the species.

He added: "My advice to fisherman wanting to catch sharks would be to go with an experienced charter or to let them go on the side of the boat."