Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1906-06-28

THE SHARK HUNTERS.
Horrible hut Alleged Painless Way
the Fish Arc Killed.

the Fish Arc Killed.
The strictly commercial business of
shark hunting is done in small sloops
whose headquarters are in the more
northcrly Norwegian ports. The crews
are for the most part made UP of pure
blooded descendants of the vikings.
who are still to be found in any num-
ber among the codfishers of Hammer
fest of Tromso. And Il magnificent
race of men they are! Accustomed
from boyhood to life of hardship.
Neptune With IL slightly contelnptuous
tolcr#tion like ;ln old friend, OF some
what uncertain temper. whose rapid
changes from smiling benevolencc to
wild. clustering anger arc Oh 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 perhap.; a mnined hut
still living shark can feel?
The fishing is done off the coast oi
Iceland In about eighty fathoms OF wa
ter. Three or four gallows like strlc
lures are rugged up around tho sis!r.; o!
the slooi, and from ciicll of t!les. hangs
IL pulley block, over which ruts Il
stroag rope. and to the end of this the
lmitcd hook is fastened \ plentiful
supply of ground bait is thrown out to
attract the quarry. and such is the ca
gcrncss with which the sharks take the
buit that sometimes each one of these
gallows like fishing rods will have its
fish hooked and lighting for life nll ut
the same time.
There is no playing" the fish. 1t is
not necessary or possible. and the pow
erful tackle Is hardly likely to b.cak
no matter how tiercely the hooked
shark may struggle. But the shark is
not for his size IL game fish, and except
when he is actually being hoisted out
of the water there Is no very serious
straiE OH the tackle If he does now
and then get away it Is not because he
ever manages to break the line, but be
cause Il lightly fixed hook easily tears
through the soft cartilaginous skeleton
of his head and SO sets him free.
AS soon as II shark has taken one of
the baits the hauling tackle attached to
his particular gallows is manned. and
without any snpcrtluous fuss or ccrc-
mony he is hauled UP to the sloop and
holstcd just clear of the water.
He Is not brought on board ut all.
but With II few bold slashes his liver Is
cut out as he hangs and Is thrown into
tub to he further denlt with later.
Then his eyes nrr put out, aud he is
cut adrift TO go and complete the tnrly
process of dying where and how he
pleases.
All this sounds very horrible, but
there Is; one curious fact which goes
far to make us believe that this death
cannot. utter all, Ike such II cruel one
as ut first appears. 1t is this, the fisher
men say-tlmt Unless they put out the.
sharks eyes he will afterward cause
them II lot of trouble by coming and
taking the bait II second time.
1t sound. Incredible. but the state
mcnt Is thoroughly we'll authenticated
by rycwitnesscs who have seen liver
less shark do just this very thing. Sci
cntists doubtless are right in saving
that tic shark (Which by anatomical
classification is one of the lowest of
the fishes does not feel pain In the
way more highly organized animals
feel It, We will cling to that belief, for
II Is cOnsoling to us, ii not to the
shark. who Is thus sacrificed that his
liver may supply us With what?
1t is n secret not to bc spoken aloud.
Norway is one of the great centers of
the cod trade. and from cod Is made
cod liver oil. and sharks liver oil tastes
and looks exactly like It, Pearson's
Magazine.
The Nntur. of nn Onth.