NETTING OF SHARKS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21503, 29 May 1933, Page 15

NETTING OF SHARKS

QUEENSLAND INDUSTRY MANY VALUABLE PRODUCTS GREAT FISHING GROUND The shark, which has so lone been a terror of the Australian coast, bids fair to become the basis of a profitable industry. A company has "been formed which is to start shark fishing operations on a large scale off Cooktown, in North Queensland. The Great Barrier Reef, which stretches for 1260 miles along the east coast of Queensland, forms a natural barrier to an area nearly 100,000 square miles in extent, and breeding fully 200 distinct varieties of fish. Among these are 29 species of sharks, of which eight arc regarded as man eaters. Every species is of commercial value to a greater or less degree. The shark offers five distinct avenues for commercial exploitation. The fins, dried, command a ready sale in the Orient, where they are used for conversion into soup or gelatine. Selected fins bring as much as £7OO a ton, but a ton of sharks yields only about 201b. of dried fin, the loss of weight in drying being approximately 60 per cent. Shark skin, which is known as shagreen, is becoming increasing popular in Britain and on the Continent, where it is used for ornamental purposes, such as coverings for caskets and toilet sets, and for the manufacture of shoes, handbags, etc. The skin is treated in two ways—ono with the surface made flat and smooth resembling marble, and the other with the natural skin showing a rough pebbly surface. A ton of mixed sharks yields about DO square l'eet of leather, which brings anything up to six shillings a square foot on the market. Oil and Manures A ton of mixed sharks also yields about 2001b. of dehydrated meat, of the type vised in export to Asia and Africa, where it enjoys a ready sale. Sharks' livers are also extremely rich in an oil which is in increasing demand for the currying of leather, the tempering of steel, and in soap making;. The average yield of oil is about 25 gallons to a "ton of shark. Then there are valuable stock and poultry meals and agricultural manures obtained from the- 1 residue of the carcases. Taking all of these into consideration the value of each shark captured ranges from £2 to £5. A shark 20 feet in length would tip the scales at nearly a ton, and would, consequently, be of far greater value than a 9ft. specimen, which would scarcely weigh 5001b. Some Remarkable Hauls Special nets made of heavy cord fishing line, and special tackle are used. They are upwards of 1000 feet lons and. 20 feet wide, and they are set at depths varying from five to 15 fathoms, where snarks of all varieties are constantly moving in searcn of food. As is tairly well known, sharks have a large liver and an appetite to match it. A shark has been known to swallow a sack of coke and rubbish thrown overboard from a steamer. They will attack or swallow anything that smells like a meal. They hunt by sense of smell only. Their sight is very poor, and they follow a scent like a doc, swimming in ever-decreasing circles and increasing speed as the scent grows stronger. It is in this manner that they become hopelessly enmeshed in a net. Some remarkably large hauls have been made in nets in New South Wales waters, where the shark fishing industry has been in operation for some considerable time. Recently, oif Newcastle Beach, a fishing party took a total of 148 sharks of several species in three nets. The haul was valued at £560. Line Fishing Limited Nightly catches of between 30 anil 40 sharks in one net are of frequent occurrence. Often, however, although the nets are the strongest that can possibly be used in the work, great holes are torn in them, irom which some monster shark has escaped by ripping the net with its terrible teeth. They do not, as is generally believed, turn on their back to bite —they simply snap straight ahead. In spite of fact that valuable nets —a 1000-foot' net costs anything from £IOO upwards—are often greatly damaged, net fishing for sharks is much more profitable than line fishing. The lines are of Manila rope about l jTn. or 2in. thick, or lin.' wire rope with a chain or wire trace attached and steel hooks of varving sizes, with from 2}in. to 4in. bends. Frequently these large hooks are straightened by sharks, while on occasions the lines are broken as if they were of string. Cannibal Sharks In New South Wales waters fish(srmen have netted sharks carrying two or three hooks with traces and parts of lines, hanging from their jaws. Another disadvantage of line fishing is that often the hooked.,sharks are attacked and eateu by other sharks, and many fishermen have found barely half a shark on their hook. Sharks are cannibals, particularly the females, which are unusually savage toward their fclbws during the breeding seaSOn - ■ • 1 T • 1 Shark fishing is an industry which, by reason of the plentifulness of the raw material, should develop into a large and successful business, and constitute a permanent and reliable asset to the State of Queensland.