FISHING FOR SHARKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20560, 10 May 1930, Page 3 (Supplement)

FISHING FOR SHARKS.

SPORT FOR NATIVES.

.CATCHES IN EASTERN SAMOA.

NOOSE, POLE AND AXE

Fishing for sharks a few miles from Pago Pago, in American Samoa, is regarded as great sport by the natives They use no harpoons or spears. In a large outrigger canoe the Sacnoans set out into the bay, and on the way offer solemn prayers that many sharks will appear and that their catch wifl be heavy. By way of more material inducement the natives take a tin of salmon, which is opened, and the contents dropped into ' 9 water. There are few things a shark prefers to a tin of salmon. A stout stick is run through a hole in half a coconut ® e U, and as a' native thumps it up and OW D in the water a heavy, chugging ,o und is majfj which helps to attract the shark. ' --

it* ] % line, about as thick as a man's ls ru " out, and attached to it is ?' wood and a lump of decayed . .' wood k£eps the bait near the °/ t' ie water. If sharks fail to ppear Jfter the end of the line has been *° * ul '^ er Prayers are

!itilitV SCI / elneil '' begins when a shark is taU V-i roan-eating fish goes to lino ,a I a k " le ' Ja 't a nativo draws the 80,,° * an ' a '' shark. A shovelful* canno '' snatch tfie bait in one ii'Lt ' U ',' arn ' °. n '* s hack, and it boal 8 Slm P' e shark to the

are t«. beside the native with the line and *t,° °,," ers > . one with a heavy noose lin« i.. » er , with 11' five-foot pole. The laispd „i ? .' n rapidly, and the bait teach™ u. i water, just as the shark at it P oa t. As the shark snatches •hart'. na^ IVO slips the nooso over the behi*,i 7i 050 , anfl ' iea( ' a "d draws it, taut uem M the dorsal fin. . a boat^' r Tk ark ' { k| c k ,<? sufficiently to swamp it Avail i !\ e nat ' Vf! with the pole places fish nn s .' iar k's mouth, and as the downEh e ' s la,nme<^ R J iai "' < P«t s up a tremendis stilit e ' .' s silenced when its head is aUr. ?' >etl y' l ' l an axe> A heavy club shark .• )rou K' lt '"to play, and later the lleed s tolaJr [h ° and gmdually for sewl 11 ! 0 ;' however, *a shark has fought of th ß i , oul 's. '1 ho natives find parts of a s i. arl r , C ' l ! ito ' t:| stv, and tho return for a f eas j S * lunt ' ' s usually the signal C°u£ ( p le you rig' Sarnoans know Sr ® ®4ters of' S- t, S^01 ' lU '' l ' lo o ' l ' cr ,ncn