The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1906-05-09
THE SHARK HUNTERS.
horrible but Alleged Painless Was
the Fish Are killed.


the Fish Are killed.
The strictly commercial business OF
shark hunting IS done IN small slOops
whose headquarters are iii the more
northerly Norwegian ports. The crews
are for the most part made up of pure
hlooded descendants Of the vikings,
who are still TO be found In any num-
Der among the codtiShers of Hammer
fest Of rromso. And II magnificent
race Of men they are Accustomed
from boyhood 10 Il life of hardship,
they have II way Of treating Father
Neptune with II slightly eentemptuous
liberation. like an cid friend, Of some
what uncertain temper. whose rapid
changes from smiling beueNolence To
wild. clustering anger are ON the whole
rather amusing than otherwise
They care nothing for danger and
little for suffering In themselves or In
others. Why, then, should they stop
TO think that perhaps manned but
stilI living shark can feel
The fishing Is done on the coast OF
Iceland In about eighty fathoms OF wa
ter. Three or four gallows Hike Struc-
lures are rugged up around the sides of
the sloop and from each of these hangs
pulley block. over which runs Il
strong rope. and To the end OF this the
baited hook Is fastened. plentiful
supply OF ground bait Is thrown out to
attract the quarry, and such Is the ea-
gerness with which the sharks take the
bait that sometimes each one of these
gallows Ike fishing rods will have its
fish hooked aud lighting for life all ut
the same time,
There Is no playing" the fish 1t Is
not necessary or possible, and the pow
ertul tackle Is hardly likely TO break.
no matter how tiereely the hooked
shark may struggle. But the shark Is
not for his Size game fish. and except
when he Is actually being hoisted out
OF the water there Is no very serious
strain ou the tackle. II he does now
and then get away II Is not because he
ever manages To breal, the line. but be-
cause u lightly fNed hook easily tears
through the soft cartilaginous skeleton
OF his head aud SO sets him free.
As soon as shark hus taken one of
the baitS the hauling tackle attached To
his particular gullows is manned. and
without any supertiuous fuss or cere-
mony he Is hauled up To the sloop aud
hoisted Just clear of the water.
lie IL not brought on board at all.
but with few bold sla shes his liver Is
-. L.Y ID m g
tub 10 lie further dealt with later.
Then his eyes are put out. aud ho Is
cut adrift 10 go and complete the tardy
process Of dying where and how lie
pleases
All this sounds very horrible, but
| there Is one curious faet which goes
| far to make us believe that this de0tt
| cannot. after all. he such cruel on'
us ut first appears. 1t Is this. the fisher
men say that unless they put out tn
sharks eyes he Will afterwnrd Caus
them lot OF trouble by coming an,
taking the bait II second time
1t sounds Incredible. but the state
meht is thoroughly well authenticate,
by eSewitnesses who have seen liver
| less shuih up just lhlS WY hihS' 81
entists doubtless are right In sayinl
that the shark (Which by anatOmica
| classification IL one OF the lowest OF
| the tlshesI does not feel pain IN the
WAY more highly organized animals
feel it, We will cling 10 that belief, fot
IL Is eousoling To us, If not 10 The
shark who Is thus sacrificed that his
liver may supply us with what?
1t Il IL secret not To be spoken aloud.
Norway Is one Of The great centers of
the cod trade. and from cod IL made
cod liver OIL and shark y liver oil tastes
and looks exactly like It. Pearson y
Magazine