The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-10-11
Iceland Shark Fisheries.

If we continued on from Iceland, we
would come upon the great shark fisher
les in Western Norway and along GER
tain banks of the Polar Sea. These
banks lie at distance of fifteen to TWEEN
ty miles from land, at depth of $50 to
800 fathOms. Decked boats are used in
shark fishing, although they seldom ex-
coed fifteen tons burthen, with crew of
five or six men. The mode of capture
is by means of line about four-tenths
of an inch in diameter, to which lead
of six to nine pounds is attached as a
sinker. This line ends in timed or
galvanized iron chain of about three
fathoms in length, so that it can not be
injured by the familiar habit of the fish
of winding itself up. The hooks are
made of strong iron or steel, nearly four
tenths of an inch in diameter. AS soon
as the boats reach the bank they are
brought to anchor and the cord let
down. Before this, however, a perfo-
rated box, filled with rancid or putrid
seal-blubber, , is fastened about two
fathoms above the hook. This sub.
stance escapes through the holes of the
box, and is carried along by the water,
thus attracting the fish to the hook,
which is also baited with seal-blubber.
The fisherman holds the line in the hand,
as in cod fishing, and Us soon as it is
observed that the animal has taken the
hook, by sudden jerk this is forced
into the mouth. As soon as captured
the shark rolls himself round and round
in the chain, which is not injured by the
rough, file-lilSe skin, as would be the
case with a line. The animal is then
hauled up, sometimes by the use Of a
windIass. As soon as it appears above
the surface it is killed and held fast I'M
til the belly is opened and the liver re.
moved. The swimming bladder Is then
filled with air by means of Q pipe, 80
that the carcass will not sink. 1t is then
fastened to the stern of the vessel.
Sometimes other sharks follow the
body of the dead one, being occasionally
caught by means of gaffs. When the
boats leave the banks buoy is gener-
ally fastened to each fish, so that it may
remain at the surface without sinking;
otherwise it would be eaten by its fell
lows, who would neglect the baised
hooks. The yield of this fishery is not
only dependent upon the wind and
weather, which are SO ineonstant in the
arctic seas, bat also upon the variation
in the size of the fish and their abund-
ance. Some of the fish furnish liver
weighing only twenty-five to thirty
pounds, while from others livers of 220
to $50 pounds are obtained. OF late
years the carcasses of these sharks have
been brought ashore for the purpose OF
being manufactured into manure or
guano; especially when they are taken
inshore near the land, as is the case
sometimes in the winter on the coast OF
Finmark, where they are sometimes
taken with trawl lines. These travis
usually carry thirty hooks, six or seven
fathoms apart, and are kept. immedi-
ately above the bottom by means OF
glass floats. The annual yield from this
fishery amounts to eight to ten thousand
barrels of livers, worth $50, 900 gulden.
The oil, obtained by steam heating, is
extremely fine, and is used for purposes
of illumination. The undissolved por.
tions of the liver are then boiled, and
furnish the brown tanners oil. On the
coast Of Portugal is another great fish
cry. The fish are brought up from
distance of nearly two-thirds OF. mile
In the bay, and are invariably dead
when brought to the surface Chr. N.
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