10 Commercial Shark Fishing in the Caribbean Area 



been available to finance fishermen. This pamphlet aims 

 at removing these difficulties. 



To make money out of shark fishing the first thing is 

 to "know how". Different sharks have different values 

 for their various products and even the same kind of 

 shark will vary according to whether it is male or female 

 and according to the time of the year. It is therefore 

 important for you to know what sort of shark you are 

 dealing with and what kinds of sharks are likely to be 

 in your locality, and when and where they can be caught. 

 You can obtain part of this information from Section 1. 

 In Section 2 are outlined some methods for catching 

 sharks which we think will work in the Caribbean. 

 These ideas are not based on theory but on practical, 

 successful experience in the Caribbean area. In the fol- 

 lowing sections you are told how to handle the various 

 shark products. This is all the "know how" of com- 

 mercial shark fishing. 



But "know how" is not enough. If you are to make 

 a success of shark fishing you must follow the instruc- 

 tions carefully. Remember that shark products spoil 

 more easily than most animal products and you are work- 

 ing in a hot, humid climate where this spoilage is very 

 rapid. Shark livers begin to deteriorate almost as soon 

 as the shark is dead; hides may lose half their value if 

 skinning is delayed for more than six hours; flesh begins 

 to spoil in a few hours. Never leave sharks or shark 

 products (except fins) in the hot sun. Start preparing 

 the products as soon as the shark is killed and go straight 

 through with the preparation as described in these notes. 

 Keep everything clean and washed down. Where salt 

 is used, use only a good grade salt, free from pink tint 

 and use plenty of it. If you follow these instructions 

 you will produce valuable products. If you do not, you 

 will produce worthless products which will not even pay 

 your freight charges. 



Often those who catch the sharks are too tired to start 

 preparing the products immediately. It would therefore 

 be well to consider the possibility of having a separate 

 working gang, fresh and ready to begin operations as 

 soon as the sharks are brought in port. 



