Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-19

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@ALk TO a hlae,wateF sailor and he
4 IT to tell Of the sea tiger. Supersti-
ton and ferocious revenge will be
mingled in the story, for the deep
sea man has one hatred more deeply rooted
than the other, it is hatred of the shark,
and when he captures one by chance he is
hendish in his cruelty. Perhaps not without
cause, though the shark has his good points as
. scayenger and there are other equally horri-
BE and dangerous creatures in the deep waters
Of the ocean.
Seeking new fields OF adventure, yachtsmen
and sportsmen devised the sport Of shark hunt
ing Then it was discovered that the shark
has \ fine liver which yields great quantities
of oil Of medicinal value and that certain por-
lions of the creature are considered as edible
selicacies in the FAR East A definite industry
slowly developed and when some one found
out that the skin could be tanned and that
ehagreen was . valuable commercial product,
the industry made decided squirt forward.
The most striking example Of the enormous
value of the research work on monsters OF the
deep is TO be found in the development OF the
shark fisheries around the coast Of Australia
which owes its inception to Capt. q. r. Turner,
ID. s. G, the veteran shark catcher of the
Pacific.
After many years and much labor, the prob
Lem Of converting hides Of shark and other fish
into commercial leather was solved, and this
leather is now in great demand throughout the
world for shoes, bags and fancy articles. Since
the oil and meat can also be utilized, shark
fishing for profit is attracting the attention OF
adventurous spirits. Like hig-game hunting for
museums, it has all the elements Of danger plus
the lure Of big profits.
THE word ~shaEk" 0Onjures up the vision Of
q creature sleek, silent and sinister, ever
On tine alert to grab in Its leering mouth an
board. But to Capt. Turner and his eomrades
shark means dividends. The shark hunter pur-
sles his urey with unrelenting vgor and when
. capture is made the brute Is quickly dispatched
and carved up. each portion being carefully con-
adhered i'm regard to It's commercial va1ue The
hide is converted into valIab1e leather strong,
supple and Of fne appearance; the flesh Is dried
and sent to feed the hungry millions Of the Far
East and Africa: from the hvers are pressed
out quantities Of oil, useful for many purposes,
and the fms will be turned into soup to tickle
the paIates OF the Chinese gentry.
shark hunting I'm the past has been left to
. few fishermen who. for the mere sport Of
hooking hard-fghting, hard-dying fish and
of pitting their skill against the brute force OF
the maddened monster, 6ghed for the sake OF
the thrill and the lust Of killing merciless,
crafty and cruel foe. Now, at Port Stephens,
the lure of the baited hook 10 no longer used.
In its stead, nets cunningly constructed and
effectively laid to bar the brutes' progress are
taking great toll Of sharks.
The shark hShsrman's day begins at 2:30 in
the morning with haSty snack and q cup of
tea, then the boats are pushed out. These boats
are 20 feet long, fitted with 12-horsepower
Diesel engines, and are solidly constructed to
withstand any amount of buffeting. An early
start Is made in order to be on the fishing
grounds in the calm Of daybreak and so avoid
the choppy sea which an icy wind develops,
rendering the handling OF the nets difficult.
BY the dim light of the stars, in silence broken
only by the regular bark of the exhaust and an
occasional grunt Of q dolphin, speculation Is
rife among the hunters as TO the extent of the
mornings catch.
Half an hours run from the steep headlands
guarding the entrance to the port, two floating
buoys indicate the ends Of 3 net. thousand
feet away two more buoys mark the other end.
The net hangs between these buoys. The ground
rope Is weighted with 4-ounce leads every
3 feet and the headline Is buoyed by glass floats.
5 inches in diameter, placed every feet. The
nets ere H. 10 or 20 inch mesh and 40 feet
deep. and may be used I'm water Of that depth
or down to 40 feet So far the shallOwer water
has yielded tine greater number Of sharks.
Fishing grounds are continually changed If
the catch Is q poor one, the net is usually taken
On hoard and relaid IN another place.
when q shark h enmeshed the net 10 dragged
upward st the spot tin the creatures head is
above the surface of the water o large hook
suspended from the derrick Ii then thrust into
Is jaws, and it Is dispatched By the heavy blows
az . club on the back Of the head or by q bullet
through the brain. which 10 on top of the snout
Even after o shark has been killed his muscles
reflex and cause him 10 thrash his tai wildly.
have seem several men hurt BY such tail
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