. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. The name of the catch is shark There aren't many folks who'd like to see the toothy jaws of a shark snap- ping in their faces. But that's exactly what Lloyd Davidson of Morehead City wants. He's one of a rare breed of commercial fishermen who stalk North Carolina's waters for shark. For two to three days at a time, Davidson rigs up his boat, throws out his lines, and reels in some of the most dangerous, but delicious, fish that lurk the deep. During the winter months, he and two crewmen go offshore 30 to 4
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. The name of the catch is shark There aren't many folks who'd like to see the toothy jaws of a shark snap- ping in their faces. But that's exactly what Lloyd Davidson of Morehead City wants. He's one of a rare breed of commercial fishermen who stalk North Carolina's waters for shark. For two to three days at a time, Davidson rigs up his boat, throws out his lines, and reels in some of the most dangerous, but delicious, fish that lurk the deep. During the winter months, he and two crewmen go offshore 30 to 40 miles where tiger and sandbar sharks are plentiful. In the summer, when sharks move to warmer nearshore waters, shark fishermen follow close behind. And anglers are more likely to catch them off piers then. Silky, dusky, black-tip, spinner, bull, sandbar and tiger sharks are a few of the species caught. Other types snagged off North Carolina include the blue, dogfish, white, mako and thresher sharks, says Lundie Spence, UNC Sea Grant's education specialist. Jim Bahen, the UNC Sea Grant marine advisory agent at Ft. Fisher, says, "Anytime you go fishing in the ocean . . there's always the chance you'll catch a shark," no matter what you're fishing for. Davidson got hooked into commer- cial shark fishing last year when he and the owners of a Morehead City fish market thought there was a demand for the meat in Northern markets. The first step was to rig his 41-foot boat. This is the minimum length that should be used, says Davidson, because you need room for longlining and for the proper facilities to prepare the shark once onboard. Davidson figures that it costs between $5,000 and $10,000 to rig a boat for shark fishing. For Davidson and his crew, each outing operates more like a hunt than a fishing trip. Instead of fishing poles, they use miles of cable and nylon line attached to two huge, hydraulic reels that will pull in their catch. Hooks are spaced 30 to 50 feet a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
