Commercial Shark Fishing in the Caribbean Area 51 

 SECTION V 



SHARK FINS AND SHARK TEETH— HOW TO HANDLE THEM 

 AND WHAT THEY SHOULD BE WORTH 



Part 1. Fins 



All shark fins with a few exceptions are commercially 

 valuable. They are chiefly in demand for making cer- 

 tain food specialties such as Chinese soups. 



The fins which are valueless and which you should 

 not include in your shipment are the side fins of the Saw- 

 fish Shark, the upper lobe of the tail of all sharks and 

 all the fins of the Nurse Shark. Furthermore, the value 

 of fins from sharks less than five feet in length is so small 

 that it is not worth the trouble and expense of shipping 

 them. 



Cutting 7 



The fins should usually be cut off before skinning. 

 Figures 5 and 6 show the location of the fins and where 

 they should be cut. If they are cut correctly on a curve 

 into the fins, very little meat will remain on them. They 

 should then be cleaned free from meat and skin, washed 

 in clean sea water and allowed to soak for a few hours, 

 but not longer than over-night, in clean sea water. This 

 makes final cleaning much easier. 



After the fins have soaked for a time, they are taken 

 out and the last traces of skin and flesh removed. They 

 are now ready for drying. 



Do not leave large pieces of bone on the fins. You will 

 not be paid for the extra weight, and it will onlv reduce 

 the grade of your fins. 



Drying 



The fins are spread in the sun for drying. Excellent 

 spreads can be made from chicken wire or, where this 

 is not available, from split bamboos or withes. They 



'The following instructions for cutting, drying, packing and shipping fins 

 have been taken from The Shark Fishing Industry, p. 10, and are used here 

 with the permission of the Ocean Leather Corporation. 



