Spare a thought for the shark when you order your fish and chips tonight, for the meat beneath the batter – sold as rock salmon or huss – is from an endangered species: the spiny dogfish.

And now the European Commission is moving to protect several species of shark which are being pushed towards extinction.

This includes the spiny dogfish, experts say. ‘Human beings are now a far bigger threat to sharks than sharks ever were to us,’ said Joe Borg, EU Fisheries Commissioner.