228 The Commercial Products of the Sea. 



being small, is only calculated to bring the fish to the level 

 of the water ; his nose is then hauled a little above the 

 surface, and a smart blow is immediately struck, by which he 

 becomes stunned. A large hook at the end of a pole, 

 attached to a strong tackle, is then driven into the fish, and 

 by this means he is hauled on deck. The belly is cut open 

 and the liver taken out. A hole is then made in the 

 stomach for the purpose of inflating it with wind, which 

 done, the hole is again tied up, the fish got into the water, 

 and permitted to float away. The stomach being inflated 

 prevents the fish sinking, and it soon drifts out of sight. 

 By being kept afloat, the fishermen imagine that the carcase 

 cannot injure the fishing grounds. 



The length of this fish varies from 10 to 18 feet. The 

 value depends upon the size, quantity, and quality of the 

 liver, which yields from one-half to two barrels, or from 1 5 

 to 60 gallons of fine oil each. 



This shark is caught nearer the coast, as far as Waranger 

 Fiord. The fishery commences about the end of Sep- 

 tember, and is continued through the winter until the end 

 of February with deep-sea lines, in open boats manned by 

 five men. 



The bait preferred is either porpoise or seal blubber. 

 The line is retained on the finger, and as soon as the man 

 feels that the bait has been touched, he gives a sharp jerk, 

 in order to fix the hook more firmly in the jaws of the fish. 

 Some skill and experience is required to effect this at the 

 proper moment, as the fish no sooner finds himself caught 

 than he spins round the line, and on these occasions the 

 line is liable to be severed by the sharp edges of the skin. 

 The greatest activity is, at the same time, requisite in 

 hauling the fish to the surface, in order to check the 

 rotatory movement. 



