92 NEW SOUTH WALES 



CHAPTER IV. 



Sharks. 



These unamiable predacious fishes are very well or rather very nume- 

 rously represented in Australia, as the list to be given will show. They 

 are not, however, wholly useless. It has been mentioned already how 

 abundant some species are in Tasmania, where the fishermen find their 

 captures of king-fish much interfered with by sharks, which snap 

 them off the hooks. This is probably the Tope or School Shark (Galeus 

 cmstralis), Macleay. It was generally thought that it was identical 

 with the Tope of Britain (G. canis), but Mr. Macleay has pointed out 

 many diffei'ences. It grows to about 6 feet long, and has become an article 

 of export from Tasmania. It is regulai'ly captured at Southport and 

 Kecherche Bay. At a visit paid by the writer to that locality he found 

 about ten families engaged principally in the shark fishery. The por- 

 tions used were the liver, whicli was boiled for oil,* and the fins, which 

 were dried and pressed for the Chinese market. There were two very 

 intelligent Chinese agents, who bought the fins on the spot and under- 

 took the water transport to the place of shipment. They gave much 

 information about the trade, which just then happened to be in a 

 depressed state. The tail fin was not used, and of the others the dorsal 

 fins were the most esteemed, and were packed separately. The fisher- 

 men found it sufficiently remunei'ative to engage in no other fishery, 

 except when the market was very low, as it was then. There was much 

 sickness in the place about that time because of the way in which the 

 decaying carcasses of the fish were left about. I counted over sixty near 

 one dwelling, and the stench was feai"ful. There wei-e times when the 

 weather was unfavourable for the fishery, and then mutton-fish were 

 speared. This is the ear shell-fish (Haliotis ncevosa), which was eagerly 

 bought by the Chinese merchants. Only the large muscular sucking 

 disc or foot is used. Before being packed it is boiled and dried. About 

 9d. per lb. was given, but thovigh abundant it was too troublesome a 

 fishery to make it a pursuit, except when nothing else could be caught, f 



It is very probable that the majority of our sharks have a very wide 

 range, so that thex-e is nothing of peculiar or local interest about them. 

 The following list includes all that are known to occur in our seas : — 



Carcharias gangeticiis, or sea shark, and Carcharias melanopterus 

 and C. hrachyurus ; the Whaler, Galeocerdo rayneri ; Tiger Shark, 

 Galeus aiistralis ; School Shark ; Zygcena malleus, Hammer-headed 

 Shark ; Mustelus antarticulus ; Lamna glauca, Blue Pointer ; Gar- 

 cJiarodon rondelettii, White Pointer ; Odontapsis americanus, Grey 

 Nurse; Alo2)ecius vulpes, Thrasher; JVotidanus indicus, Scylllum macu- 

 latum, S. laticeps, Parascyllium variolatum, P. nucliale, P. ocellahtm, 

 Chiloscyllium furvum, Dog-fish ; C, ocellatum, G. trispeculare, G. 



Fish oil absorbs oxygen so rapidly, and thickens to an extent which preckides 

 its application to machinery. 



t The flesh of sharks contains the most nutriment of any fish, but is hard, dry, 

 and tasteless. From tliis reason it is perhaps less digestible. It is said that the, 

 Chinese use it as food, but this is true only of the fins. 



