chapter 4 



Sharks on a Line 



One distant, unchronicled day in some 

 prehistoric sea, man and shark met— and, 

 incredibly, man triumphed. Since that epic day, men have been seeking 

 the shark; and, not merely for food, for there have always been drab 

 and feckless fish enough for food. Men have hunted down the shark for 

 the matchless sport and keen-edged danger. 



We can today envision some of the early duels between shark and 

 man in the Pacific. We have artifacts that have survived the participants; 

 we hear the ageless tales that have been handed down from generation 

 to generation of native fishermen in Japan, the East Indies, Polynesia, 

 and Micronesia; and we can see the curious vestiges of ancient shark fish- 

 ing still found today in the islands of the Pacific. 



One of the oldest devices for catching sharks in Micronesia is the 

 shark snare, which has been used for centuries. The snare is a coarse 

 rope of plant fibers, made into a noose. The noose is dropped in the sea 

 from a canoe. The fisherman attracts sharks to the area by swinging a 

 rattle— usually hollowed-out coconut shells or large sea shells threaded 

 onto a stick. Small fishes or bits of meat are swirled in the water to 

 further attract the shark, once the rattles have brought it near. Slowly, 

 with infinite patience, the fisherman lures the shark's head into the noose. 

 Suddenly, the noose is drawn tight, snaring the shark just behind the 

 gill slits. Then, as the shark struggles in the noose, it is clubbed to death. 

 The Maoris of New Zealand are said to have favored the noose method 

 because they treasured the center tooth of the "w^^o" {Isurus sp.)^ as 

 an ear ornament. The tooth might have been damaged if a hook were 

 used. 



Some snare fishermen found that their hands were the most depend- 

 able bait for sharks. While one occupant of a canoe trailed his hand 

 along in the water, another man dropped a noose aft of the enticing 

 hand. The shark swam into the noose in pursuit of the hand. Then, 

 when the shark's body was well into the noose and the jaws near the 

 hand, the noose was tightened and the man withdrew his hand. The 

 hand had to be gently, slowly swished in the water. If the hand moved 



1 The name Mako is of Maori origin and applies in their language to this shark 

 specifically. We have adopted it (in English) for the genus. 



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