SENSORY BIOLOGY: PACIFIC SHARKS 601 



voyaging pattern involves rapid swimming and is not considered a threat to 

 the divers. Swimming sounds produced by cruising are more irregular and, 

 when detected, they are considered to indicate a threatening situation. 



The Chemical Senses 



The use of chemical stimulation from meat or blood of bait fish is so well 

 known and universal in shark fishing throughout the Pacific that it needs no 

 extensive discussion. Any small fish (flying fish, mackerel, etc.) or lobster is 

 considered good bait. If the bait is more than about 300 mm (1 ft) long, it is 

 usually broken into pieces of convenient size. The smallest pieces are used 

 for chumming sharks alongside a boat for hooking, harpooning, or noosing. 

 The use of fishhooks and harpoons is similar to procedures followed in other 

 parts of the world, although the fishing gear is generally made of local 

 materials. Noosing sharks, especially the larger specimens, is a widespread 

 practice, and involves a high degree of skill in anticipating their behavior, 

 chumming them into a precise location, and carefully choosing the moment 

 for tightening the snare. 



In Micronesia, the snare is the most common implement used in capturing 

 sharks (Figure 2). The practice is virtually ubiquitous in the southwestern 

 Pacific, though the designs of snares vary from place to place. Curiously, 



Figure 2 Use of the shark snare, with lure (New Ireland), illustrated on a New Guinea 

 postage stamp. 



