Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-01-16
TIE SHARK n LINTERS.


Horrible but Alleged In ltsss We y !
the Fish Are "A + + &C. a Il
The strictly comm ercial 4 .ssssiae = sefi
shark hunting is done II ;;;i1lls:ss.i sioops
whose hea2 quarters are in the more
aortherly 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 mum
Der among the codfishers of Hammer
Il fest of Tromso. And a magnificent
race Of men they are! Accustomed
from boyhood to a life Of hardship.
they have a way of treating Father
Neptune with a slightly contemptuous
liberation, like an old friend. Of some.
what uncertain temper, whose rapid
changes from smiling benevolence to
wild, clustering anger are on the whole
rather amusing than otherwise
They care nothing for danger and
little for suffering in themselves or ia
others, Why, then, should they stop
to think that perhaps a maimed but
still living shark can feel?
The fishing is done Off the coast OF
Iceland in about eighty fathoms Of wa
ter. Three or four galioMs-iike strEc
lures are rugged up around the SIDES q
the sloop and from each of these hangs
q pulley block, over which ra.ls o
| strong rope, and to the end Of this tina
baited hook is fastened. 4 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-like fishing rods will have its
| fish hooked and fighting for life all II
| the same time.
There is no playing the fish. 1t is
not necessary or possible, and the pow
erful tackle is hardly likely to break,
no matter how fiercely the hooked
shark may struggle. But the shark is
not for his size a game fish, and except
when he is actually being hoisted out
of the water there is no very serious
strain on the tackle If he does now
and then get away it is not because he
ever manages to break the line, but be-
cause lightly fixed hook easily tears
through the soft cartilaginous skeleton
of his head and SO sets him free.
As soon as a shark has taken one OF
the bats the hauling tackle attached to
1 his particular gallows is manned, and
without any superfiuous fuss or cere.
mony he is hauled up to the sloop and
/ hoisted just clear of the water.
4 e He is not brought on board at al,
4 but with q few bold slashes his liver is
cut out as he hangs and is thrown into
i a tub to be. further dealt with later.
| Then his eyes are put out, and he II
cut adrift to go and complete the tardy
process of dying where and how be
pleases.
j All this sounds very horrible, but
there is one curious fact which goes
far to make us believe that this death
cannot, after all, be such cruel orc
as at first appears. It is this, the fisher.
men say-thas unless they put out tai
sharks eyes he will afterWard cause
them a lot Of trouble by coming and
taking the bait Il second time. #
1t sounds incredible, but the state
ment is thoroughly well authenticated
by eyewitnesses who have seen a liver
less shark Go just this very thing. Sci
entists doubtless are right in saying
that the shark (Which by anatomical
classification is one of the lowest O.
the fshes) does not feel pain in The
way more highly organized animal'
feel it. We will cling to that belief, fol
it is consoling-to us, if not to the
shark, who is thus sacrificed that his
liver may supply us with-what?
1t is secret not to be 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 taste:
and looks exactly like it.-Pearson's
Magazine.