XI, D, 3 Seale: Fishes of Mindanao and Sulu 241 



grade of the white fins, being small, rough in texture, and valued 

 at only 30 pesos per picul. 



Large black fin {Plate II, fig. 5). — This fin is called tua sit 

 by the Chinese and tamamambojee by the Moros. It is the 

 largest size of the dark-colored fins. Most of the shark fins 

 secured in the Philippines belong to this group. The best grade 

 is worth 80 pesos per picul. 



Small black fin; oh sit. — This class consists of the young and 

 small fins of the species that yields the large black fin. These 

 fins are valued at 12 pesos per picul. 



Small black fin (Plate II, fig. 7) . — This small black fin is called 

 seow oh sit by the Chinese and galambu by the Moros. This 

 is really a gray fin with dark margins. It is valued at 12 pesos 

 per picul. 



Small black-tipped fin {Plate II, fig. 6) . — This fin is called oh 

 ku sit by the Chinese and totong by the Moros. It is gray with a 

 jet-black tip. Its value is 18 pesos per picul. 



During 1913 the Department of Mindanao and Sulu exported 

 shark fins valued at 17,408 pesos, and during the first four 

 months of the present year, 1914, the fins exported were worth 

 7,^16 pesos. 



There is little labor in preparing fins for the market. The fin 

 is cut from the body, the cut portion is well salted or dusted 

 with lime, and the fin is dried in the sun. When dry, the fins 

 are bailed and shipped. The chief market is Singapore; from 

 there they are transshipped to China. 



There are about thirty-five species of sharks in Philippine 

 waters. The fins of practically all of these are of commercial 

 value. These sharks range in size from the small dog fish, only 

 30 centimeters long, to the big gray sharks, which may be 6 

 meters or more in length. Most of the tribe are harmless in so 

 far as attacking man is concerned, but the great gray shark, 

 Carcharias gangeticus MuUer and Henle, and the tiger shark, 

 Galeocerdo tigrinus MuUer and Henle, have evil reputations and 

 should be avoided. 



Several of the Philippine sharks take the trolling spoon freely 

 and give excellent sport; this is especially true of the mackerel 

 sharks. 



