A NEW INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3583, 6 January 1927, Page 3

A NEW INDUSTRY.

PRODUCTS FROM SHARKS. New Zealand is shortly to see a new industry that will depend upon sharks for its products, according fo Ur. Alfred Ehrenreich, F.R.G.S., the greatest living authority on sharks, who arrived from Vancouver by the Aornngi yesterday. Dr. Ehrenreich, who is managing director of the English firm of Marine Products, Limited, is a doctor of science, and a. member of the American Academy, of Science, as well as a member of many other scientific bodies. Dr. Ehrenreich said lie had studied sharks and their habits for twenty years and although he had never before been to New Zealand he knew exactly the kind of fish inhabiting these waters. He had come to the Dominion with the idea of opening up works here for making use of shark products. Products from sharks included leather, fertiliser, valuablo oil, glue and a substance from the pancreatic gland Cor medicinal purposes.

“I hope to have factories established in New Zealand in a year’s time, and our aim is to catch 1000 sharks a day,” stated Dr. Ehrenreich. “This is an industry that has progressed wonderfully in other parts of the world and these waters abound with fish.”

In describing the methods of catching that would be employed by the company, Dr. Ehrenreich sai? the fish would be taken in nets and drowned. There was no fear, as in the case of whales, of killing off all the sharks. The more sharks that were caught the more they would breed. At certain stages of their lives they were cannibals and killed each other off in enormous numbers.

Dr. Ehrenreich will remain in New Zealand for a few weeks and will then proceed to Australia.