The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-09-11
RAISES SHARKS TO.SELL.
THE QUEER OCCUPATION OF A NEW
JERSEY FISHERMAN.
Disposes of Steaks I'm the New York Mar
ket and There Are People Who Pro-
nounce Them Good Eating-How He
Discovered This Fact-A Shark Pond.

ket ana 1nere are EeOplo VINO ro-
. nounce Them Good Eating-How He
Discovered This Fact-A Shark Pond.
Wilson Fastnet, who lives on the
beach at Seaside Park, over in New
Jersey, summer and winter, and makes
his living in fishing, knows more about
sharks than any other dweller along
our coast, and during his off-days,
when fish are not plentiful or the
weather is too inclement for sailing, |
he spends his time in s'sharking."
This does not mean, in his vernacular, |
what the ordinary reader might sus-
pect; it has nothing to do with Wall
street "sharking," or killing sharks
upon the high seas by means of vari-
Gus lines, hooks and harpoons. 1t i'm
plies peaceful vocation that is unique
in this country of strange employments
and trades. To understand the
'ssharking" of Mr.. Fastnet it is neces-
sary to go back little in history.
About five years ago, while fishing
off the coast, Mr.. Fastnet caught q
huge shark on his line. Thinking he
had gamey fish of unusual size on
his hook, he began to play with him,
giving the creature more line as 1t
swan from him and hauling it gently
in as it approached nearer. In this
way he induced the shark gradually
to swim toward the shore, where there
was a possible chance to hook it with
a gaff. The shark, blinded probably
by the pain of the hook in his stom-
ach, permitted the fisherman to get
him across the sandy bar, where at
low water small inland pond formed.
Once inside the pond the shark was at
the mercy of its captor. As the tide
went down the shark was soon strand
ed in the shallow water.
Mr.. Fastnet then, with the help of
others, succeeded in getting rope
around the monsters body. They
dragged him up on the beach, and by
means of several other ropes they
made regular harness for the shark.
Then he was turned loose and allowed
to swim about in the deep water off
the shore. For several days the shark
was kept a prisoner, and at regular in
tervals he was hauled up for exhibit
ton. Many people went down to see
the huge monster, and Mr.. Fastnet
charged ten cents head from the
spectators.
Finally it occurred to the fisherman
that it would pay to make the shark a
prisoner in some inland pond of water
where he could be embarrassed. On
the Barnegat Bay side.of the beach
there was small cove, which was pro-
tected by the beach on three sides. A
strong dam YVES built across the neck
of this cove and the shark was trans
ported across the beach by team of
horses and dumped into the water. In
this prison the old shark thrived
nightly and seemed gradually to lose
/ his ferocious temper. 1t took all the
small and useless fish from Mr.. Fast
nets net to keep the creature from
starving.
1t was while watching the growth of
this captive shark that the fisherman
| conceived the idea Of raising other
sharks in his artificial pond. Now
sharks eggs are easily found along the
Jersey coast. They are contained in
capsules or horny matter resembling
seaweed. They are popularity known
as "mermaids' purses" and the shells
are gathered by visitors to the seashore
for ornamental purposes. Generally
they are empty of all eggs, but in the
breeding season one can easily pick up
these shells full of eggs.
| Mr.. Fastnet collected number Of
these eggs cases and threw them into
the pond which he had formed, and in
few months he was agreeably sur.
prised to find young sharks swimming
around. The old shark in his greedi.
ness devoured these little creatures
about as fast as they were Matched
Then portion of the pond was shut
off from the rest and new eggs were
placed In the water. Here the young
sharks could live and develop without
danger from the old one. When they
became half grown they were turned
loose in the main pond. Immediately
there was o combat of extraordinary
ferocity. The old shark pounced upor
the youngsters and commenced to de-
your them as fast as he could.
For time the young ones fought
back and tried to defend themselves
but they would have been destroyed
had not Mr.. Fastnet come to their res
cue. He managed to land harpoor
in the fleshy body of the old shark ana
settled his fate in few minutes. He
thought it better to destroy the big
monster than to lose all Of his young
sharks. When he was hauled up or
the beach and bled, his body was GU
up and while the fat was boiled dowr
for its oil, the meat was cut up intt
steaks for eating. These proved 81
juicy and sweet that the fisherman SEN
some to his friends. A New Yorker
who tasted of them thought they were
too good to escape more general notice
and he sent some to his friends in thu
city. Everyone declared that the,
were more than palatable; that they
were unusually delicious.
This was the beginning of the de
mand for shark steaks. Mr.. Fastne
received steady orders for shark
steaks until he nearly cut up all hi
young sharks to supply the demand
1 L l. 4 Ill