JUST when you thought it was safe to go back into the water... comes the reminder that these sinister-looking sharks have all been found off the Dorset coast.

Yet before that creepy cello music swims into your head, bear in mind that a face-to-face encounter is more of a privilege than a point of concern.

Their appearance has resulted in these creatures being little-understood. They are more than the swimming set of teeth that dominates their popular image.

Many breeds are now endangered. Alarmingly, in the last 50 years, some species have declined to just five per cent of their natural numbers. Many are in danger of disappearing from our waters completely.

Now the Shark Trust is appealing to Dorset anglers to record their brushes with these feared fish as part of its new Angler Recording Project.

“The project asks that shark and ray anglers share their catch records with the Trust as a means of observing changes in population size and distribution,” explained John Richardson, conservation officer at the Shark Trust.

Information can then be fed into more sustainable management and protection of sharks, ensuring future generations will still be able to catch (and release) sharks in decades to come. The project focuses solely on the Southwest, including here in Dorset.

“Anglers are uniquely placed to record this information, hence us starting this pilot project asking anglers to record all of the sharks, skates and rays they catch,” said John.

“The south coast is a shark angling mecca, especially on the stretch between Weymouth and Poole which are nationally important sea-angling centres.”

Out of 450 species of shark, around 30 are found off British waters.

One of these is the Porbeagle. With its conical snout, large dorsal fin, heavy build, and length (it can reach more than three and a half metres) it’s often mistaken for a Great White.

Other apex predators seen in this area include the Blue Shark; the Thresher (recognisable by its long tail fin), and the Mako: “Which can reach speeds of 30mph when it puts its foot down,” said John.

And occasionally darkening our waters is the mighty Basking Shark, pictured, an enormous leviathan and the second largest species of fish after the whale shark. Its huge gape and the fact that it can grow to more than 10 metres in size is enough to strike fear into the hearts of many water-goers. But in truth it’s a virtually harmless plankton-eating creature.

Superlatives such as iconic and dynamic can be easily assigned to sharks which are feared by most, loved by some and hunted by many.

Partly because of media hype (no thanks to the film Jaws) and widespread ignorance, sharks have had something of a bad press.

It’s true they are predatory creatures. Their sense of smell when it comes to hunting prey is extraordinary and they have been known to sense minute amounts of blood dispersed in the water from considerable distances. Though John assures that any shark attacks in the world are ‘not revenge, but a measured response’.

Julie Hatcher, Marine Awareness Officer for Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: “It is always a privilege to encounter one of these iconic animals in the wild.

“As top predators, sharks play a pivotal role in maintaining balance in the marine environment. Our sharks are not known to be aggressive to humans, but the size and power of these animals should be respected.”

In terms of research and monitoring, sharks have been overlooked in favour of bass, cod and other valuable fish.

“We now want to get more of an idea of what’s really happening out there,” said John.