SHARK FISHING IN LOWER CALIFORNIA
The shark fishing industry is becoming increasingly important in the Ensenada Consular district, writes United States Consul William C. Burdett, stationed in Lower California. The Lower California shark, known locally as the dogfish shark, is from four to five feet long and weighs from 90 to 125 pounds. The fishing is usually done by individual fishermen working out from camps on land. The fish are caught on long set lines, on which are fifty to one hundred hooks baited with small fish or lumps of shark meat.
The fins are sold for consumption by Chinese in shark fin soup. The liver is boiled down and shark oil rendered out. Each liver gives an average of one gallon of oil. The oil is used in paints and as a leather preservative. The skins are not utilized, except for fertilizer. Frequently shark steaks are sold by Chinese in the district under the name of grayfish.
The large canneries operating fish fertilizer plants in San Diego, Cal., are eager to buy shark, and the newly finished plant at Sauzal, Lower California, expects to specialize on converting shark into fish meal fertilizer.
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