Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-03-01
Prepared by National Geographic Society

=. zens of warm seas, nov are
eagerly sought along the east
'ern coast of Australia. for they
yield 20 commodities to commerce.
The cry shark" sends the bath
ers at Sidney scurrylng to safety
but not far north, at Pindlmar, a
sleepy village on the shores of Port
Stephens, which is the headquarters
of the growing shark-fishlng indus
try, It Is good news.
Founded several years ago, the
shark industry of Australia has at
last reached the commercial stage.
Like the rabbit, the snake, the liz
ard. the crocodile and the alligator,
the shark has attained this status
mainly through the whims of MI
lady Fashion the world over. She
demanded something new In foot
wear and bags, and she has 1t in
s~harkskin.
Several years ago q trading com
pany In England sent four experts
out to Australia to specialize In
sharks-shark catching and shark
treatment. They were the special
list nucleus of Marine Industries,
Ltd, the Australian offshoot of the
English company. After investiga
tion, the quartette chose Pindlmar
as the scene of their operations.
1t had and has the first essential
sharks. thousands of them; all
kinds and varieties; all sorts and
sizes; and all within q few miles of
the shore.
The Devil and the Demon, speci-
ally built motor boats. we're put
into service. Staunch little craft
they were. proving themselves SO
with the heaviest Of freights and
in any weather.
The first attack was launched at
the entrance to the port, q stretch
of water three-quarters of a mile
wide. The nets were unlike any
used before in Australia. They
were approximately 1000 feet long,
about 16 feet deep. of an 8-inch
mesh, and they were loaded and
anchored to the bottom, with glass
buoys to hold them upright. On
the surface, marking the anchors
that helped secure the net TO the
bottom and at the same time hold
ing 1t steady. were large drums.
Usually the nets are set In the aft
ernoon and raised the next morn
ing.
No Lack of Sharks.
When the first net was raised,
the shark fishers discovered that,
for once at least, the local fisher.
man had told the truth. There
were sharks there In abundance
all sorts and slzes-"gray nurses"
"whalers," tigers school sharks"
"blue pointers" "hammerheads,"
carpets" "wobbegongs," shovel
noses," "gummies." ''angels" and
Port Jacksons."
The Devil and the Demon are
each manned by a crew of two and
q half" men-two very strong men
and a lad. On the job of raising
the net. the skipper Is at the tiller /;
right up "forrad" one chap, his legs
braced against a little footrail,
hauIs, and a little farther along the
deck, taking the strain, Is the lad.
Hand V e hand they heave and
pull, until at last the "forrard man"
calls a halt. Here comes one"
ne says, and. below. a mass can be
seen tangled In the net, thrashing
and writhing. Then the skipper
leaves the tiller and lends his
weight. II is a mans job. For
even without the catch to increase
its weight, a shark net. when wet,
tips the beam at half a ton.
AT last that part of the net which
holds the shark Is pulled to the sur-
face. Then for daring, speed of
hand and sureness of foot, there Is
little to equal a trained shark fish
err. The forward hand leans over
and grasps the tail of the strug-
Cling monster. No matter what the
sharks size, weight and temper,
that tail must be hitched. And
when the shark boat is shipping
green seas, and a savage 15-footer
is venting his rage on the net, with
the forward hand having only a
tiny footrail to give him stance and
grip, then the ordinary angler comes
to a realization of the difference
between fishing for sport and net
ting for sharks
Getting Him Out of the Net.
The sharks head Is tangled In
the net, his tall securely noosed.
While the forward hand Is fixing
the moose, the lad has swung out
the derrick arm. The tail loop is
linked up, the lad works the wind
lass and shark and net are hoIsted
into the air.
Follows another hazardous oper-
demonstrating the shark from
the net The mesh Is wound round