The sun., 1916-11-12
HARPOONER THORNE
KILLER OF SHARKS
Great South Bay Man Has Pur-
sued Pest for Fifteen
Years.

BABYLON. T.. T.. Nov. ll-Th"re are
few fishermen on the Atlantic coast who
can compare with Edwin Thorne 81 thi-
town as a shark finder and harpouuer.
For the past fifteen years Mr.. Thorn"
has harpuuned sharks in Great South
Bay. During that time he mas seen not
less than $500 sharks
These fish have been seen between
lAndenhurst u Great River on the
north side OF the bay. and Cedar Island
and Cherry Grove on the south side He
has killed between 35" aud 100 Of these
sharks.
The greatest number seen In any one
year of which Mr.. Thorne has kept
a record was 277 in 1915. The greatest
number killed was GO In 1906, Not
counting smaller saud sharks. those
killed have been - two ~spcci"s. the
brown shark and the dusky shark. with
a single exception pt u male carchur-
linus iimhatus, taken In 1910 This nsh
was tie longest Mr.. Thorn- ever secured
II weighed 30" pounds and was d" feet
, inches IN length.
Since 1871 Mr.. Thorne has Ike. care,
ful records which show that In the last
rve years sharks are nrst seen abou,
june - and leave abou, September 6 II
is his distinct recollection. however. tha,
In a previous year he mas killed sharks
as late as September 10.
During the last five years Mr.. Thorna
went ont on l23 occasions, frequently
for a small portion of the DAY. As wealth
err conditions were u~nfavorabie. About
l.l23 sharks were seen and lac taken.
Of these lac only eight were males. The
male fish RANGED In size from \ feet \
Inches To & feet = inches In length. curl
Gus t. relate. the heaviest ~ the
sharks was a species : feet r inches in
length. which weighed 322 pounds. The
longest female shark was ! feet s inches.
and the smallest 3 feet 1 inches. The
weights varied. A 3 foot I inch shark
weighed az pounds. q & foot II inch
shark. 1873 pounds. and a : foot 2 inch
shark, iS4 pounds. Eight Of the fc-
males contained young, Eight was the
smallest numLr and eleven the greatest
number OF young
or a total of 10 young. III were males
and - females. The young when born
were about % inches long and weighed
2'2 pounds,
Young Dropped From Mouth.
Mr.. Thornc SAYS that on one occasion
when n female shark was suspended ny
the tail three young dropped from her
mouth one at a time. and swan off APP
parently unhurt. This is the only Incl
lent OF the kind he has ever known.
The same fish contained several unborn
Young. Young are sometimes born on
deck. tall first. after the mother has
been caught.
The principal diet OF the sharks Mr..
Thorne has examined has been various
bottom fish and an occasional weak
fish, dog fish, eel or crab, Flat fish very
largely predominant. lie has never
found what could he identified as n
blue Ash, nor has he ever found any.
thing except what is mentioned above
In a sharks stomach, except two fish
hooks with the smells attached, neither
~ which was embedded and which were
probably fast to some smaller Ash which
the shark had swallowed.
The greatest number af sharks MIR
rh0rne has ever taken m any one da,
was II on August 3. 1905. Some o
these, however, were sand sharks, ~
August II, 1906. fourteen brown shark,
were taken, The greatest lumber seer
In one day OF which he has record wa
80, on August II, 1916. and OF these 4.
were in sight NJ one time. These wer,
all seen in the morning before noon,
ON "A previous occasion he kept n,
record, his captain at the masthead sai'
he thought he saw during the day owe
three hundred, Mr., Thorne would ga,
n conservative estimate was two hundre,
as they were much more plentiful OF
that day than IN the day that 50 wer
seen. They were so thick NJ times tina
II would have been impossible to coun
them with any degree Of accuracy.
Mr.. Thorne has killed approximately
AZ many sharks on the ebb tide As Of
the Hood.