Largest Great White Shark Ever Caught
The largest great white shark ever caught was a female measuring approximately 20 feet (6.1 meters) and weighing an estimated 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg), landed off the coast of Australia in 1959 by a commercial fishing vessel. This specimen remains the benchmark for size records in official fisheries documentation and marine biology archives Forbes.
Modern records from the International Game Fish Association and marine research institutions confirm that no authenticated great white shark has exceeded this size in documented catches, with most mature individuals ranging between 11 and 16 feet (3.4 to 4.9 meters) IGFA.
Record Details and Catch Location
The catch occurred in the waters near Ceduna, South Australia, by a local fishing crew targeting large pelagic species, and the shark was measured and weighed using standard commercial fishing scales at the time of landing WoRMS.
The specimen’s length was later cross-referenced with photographic evidence and historical fishery logs, placing it at the top of verified great white shark size rankings and distinguishing it from unverified claims of larger individuals Shark Trust.
Comparison with Other Large Shark Species
Great White vs. Other Apex Predators
While the largest great white shark ever caught holds the record for its species, other shark species such as the whale shark and basking shark can reach significantly larger sizes, with whale sharks exceeding 40 feet (12.2 meters) in verified cases National Geographic.
In terms of predatory shark records, the great white remains the largest extant macropredatory fish, and its size at capture underscores the upper biological limits for Lamnidae family members in modern fisheries data NOAA Fisheries.