SHARKS.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 November 1918, Page 1

SHARKS.

Sydney, Nov 7

As the warm weather approaches large shsrks become more numerous in our ocean waters, frequently travelling together in schools. Among these may be mentioned the great white shark, the blue shark, the grey nurse shark, and the blue pointer. Through the operations of the State trawlers a number of sharks which were thought to be rare in these waters have been found to be not uncommon. At the present time large sharks are beginning to be a little troublesome again to tlie trawlers, snapping at tlie bags of fish as they near the surface'. The Brolga, on her last trip, lost a fine bag of fish through this cause. The sharks pursued the net-full of fish to the surface 01 the water, and then tore large holes out of the tail end, or “cod-end, as it is called, liberating the fish. In this connexion Mr Stead states that it is worty of mention that our diversified experience of trawling on this coast shows that the sharks ate never more than an actual nuisance. It is important to emphasise this, because one of the arguments used against the initiation of teis deep-sea fishing in Australian waters was that sharks would be so bad as never to let the fish come to the surface. As a matter of fact, they are not nearly such a trouble to the trawlers as the dog sharks are to the dript-net men in North Sea waters.