SHARE CATCHING.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 7853, 9 December 1903, Page 4

SHARE CATCHING.

HOW IT IS PRACTISED AT AITUTAKI. Many people (says a correspon dent of the New Zealand Herald doubt the truth of the Aitutal mode- of catching the shark b; making fast a line to his tail an' so hauling him aboard the boat but it is a fact, nevertheless These sharks, which attain ; length of 4ft or sft or more, liye-i: caves in the coral patches withii the lagoon. Recently a party con sisting of Mr J. T. Large (Residen Agent of Mangaia), Mr J. C Cameron (Resident Agent at Aitu taki) and several leading natives c this island, proceeded in Constdftl Pakan's boat to one of the haunt oi these voracious fish, where on hafl recently been seen. Arrived a this spot, which was in the lagoo opposite Mania Bluff, Amuri, th boat was moored alongside thi coral patch, and the two exper divers, Rikiau and Tima, havinj first ascertained that the shark wa; there, dived under the rock, am after considerable manoeuvring and coming up to the surface t< "breathe at intervals, succeeded h getting two hitches of the line ove: the shark's tail. This done, thi divers then cleared out of the way and we hauled the monster along side the boat, but before we coulc hoist him in, owing to his strug gles; the line, which was not s good one, parted, and the fish goi away with a couple of turns of line round his tail. However, the natives knew he would not go far. and that we should probably find hjun a little further on at the next cave, which is opposite to Maungapu, the highest point of the island. We accofdingly lost no time in proceeding thither,; where we not only 1 found the shark who had just escaped 1 from us, but two others. Our two divers, nothing daunted, taking two fresh lines, entered the cave, or rather tunnel under the cbr,ai, from opposite ends, and after some time they succeeded* in getting fast to two of the sharks, including the one which had just escaped from us, and we had the good luck to haul them both into the boat without mishap. Ere long .they were cut up, distributed amongst ihe friends of- the divers, who , ate them with great relish. i T t his mode of shark-catching, simple as it may appear, requires much nerve and skill 'in diving, qualities whicJi the Aitutaki men possess in a high degree. These sharks, though very ferocious while being hauled , into' the boat, bitirjg at everything in their way, never attempted to bite the natives engaged in fastening the lines on to their tails,' the natives apparently having a knack of soothing them, and even of turning them round when the wrong end of the. fish is presented to the diver. I am not aware that, this mode of catching sharks is, practised in any other island besides this. It is an exhibition of nerve and skill well worth , seeing, but ; you may go many times ( without securing a shark. .