Shark Treasures 



Tuna-fishing explorations by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service revealed the presence 

 of great numbers of sharks in the central Pacific. The map shows some regions where 

 various species predominated. Courtesy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 



In the Pacific, tuna fishermen often haul in more sharks than tuna. 

 And the tuna that are pulled in frequently are mutilated by hungry 

 sharks. In 1950, the Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations research vessel 

 John R. Manning trolled for tuna around the Line Islands. Tuna were 

 found— and so were sharks. "They would follow the boat in schools 

 of one hundred or more," during trolling, the researchers later reported, 

 "frequently striking the lures even at 8 knots." The Blue shark {Frionace 

 glauca) was the commonest catch. 



Fishing surveys have shown sharks to be as prevalent as most of 

 the commercial fish being sought— and sometimes more so. Commenting 

 on the incalculable abundance of sharks in the Pacific, Donald W. Stras- 

 burg, fishery research biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 



