A Starry smooth-hound shark has been washed up alive on the Wadden Sea island of Vlieland.

The shark was found at the weekend and taken to the Noordwester nature centre after efforts to release it back into the North Sea failed. The shark has now has been placed in a tank for monitoring.

The shark, just over one metre long, is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is the biggest live shark ever to wash up on the Dutch coast.

Experts from the Noordwester centre will on Tuesday talk to officials from the Dolphinarium in Harderwijk about what to do next. The shark is too big to remain in the Noordwester tank, Nos television reports.