38 Commercial Shark Fishing in the Caribbean Area 



SECTION IV 



SHARK HIDES— HOW TO HANDLE THEM PROFITABLY AND HOW TO 

 ESTIMATE WHAT THEY ARE WORTH 



Shark bides can be very profitable, with first class 

 hides worth from $1.00 to $5.00 each, according to size. 

 If the hides have not been handled properly, however, 

 and are in poor condition, the price drops off rapidly, and 

 it may not even be worth while shipping them. 



Poor quality is generally caused by faulty handling 

 and can be avoided. The two chief causes of poor qual- 

 ity hides are delay in skinning and careless handling. 

 If you delay skinning the shark, the hide will begin to 

 decompose and "sour spots" or decayed portions will 

 result. If you skin the shark carelessly, "thin bellies" 

 or "butcher cuts" will result, both of which lower the 

 value of the hide. 



The most valuable shark for its hide is the Nurse Shark 

 (see Figure 33), but good quality hides of all other 

 species can be sold at only slightly lower prices. You 

 should remember, however, that small sharks (or those 

 with less than 4/^ feet overall length) or ones with bad 

 fighting scars on the belly are not worth the trouble of 

 skinning. 



Specific instructions on how to skin, flesh, cure, pack 

 and ship hides properly are given here and to get the best 

 results you should follow them carefully. 5 



Skinning of Sharks 



In skinning a shark, the opening is made along the 

 back, not the belly. A really sharp knife is essential and 

 it must be kept sharp. Do not try to skin the hide off 

 cleanly, but leave a good layer of flesh on the hide. This 

 flesh can be safely and easily removed in the next process 

 described, the "fleshing". 



8 These instructions have been taken from The Shark Fishing Industry, 3rd 

 ed., Ocean Leather Corporation, 42 Garden Street, Newark, N. J., 1932, pp 

 4-6. The Ocean Leather Corporation has very kindly given us permission to 

 use this material. 



