The Sharks of Bonne Bay

First of all, I have a short video I had wanted to share yesterday but the internet wasn't cooperating. So I have it for you today. Click here for a link to a video I took as we took a boat across Bonne Bay.

Now for the shark story. I should say sharks--plural.

Bruce had the notion that I needed to go fishing with him while we were out on his boat. This wasn't really unexpected. He likes to fish and he had mentioned that this was a week when it was legal to fish for cod. So after touring the coastline, he brought me to a spot where he knew the fish were plentiful. He asked if I had any experience fishing and I told him I hadn't fished since I was a young child. (To be honest, I really wasn't all that keen to catch a fish, but I couldn't break it to him.) Because I was inexperienced, he gave me a hand line to use instead of a fishing pole. This is a photo of the apparatus except that the one I used had a green plastic line that reminded me of a clothesline and there were two hooks baited with pieces of mackerel, and a brightly-coloured lure. The hooks were not as frightening as the one in the photo, but frightening enough for the fish. I had to let it a long way out because the goal was to catch cod, which swim on the bottom of the bay.

Long story short, Bruce caught a number of mackerel and a few small cod. I caught one mackerel. And a shark, briefly.

To be fair, Bruce had more interaction with sharks than I did. They stole his fish at least three times. This has become a real problem on the bay. They first noticed about three years ago that a good number of sharks were taking up residence in the bay. This is a direct result of climate change. And just like most living creatures, sharks like to take the easiest route to a good meal. So they love it when they find someone out fishing. The human does the hard work and the shark steals the meal. This results in the loss of the lure and the weight and results in a broken line. Again and again. According to Bruce, the equipment losses to sharks are so high that many people don't bother fishing there anymore because it isn't worth it. 

And that is how I briefly caught a shark. Of course, I didn't really catch it but it certainly caught my line--and the fish that was on the end of it. The pull was very strong. It startled me. When we brought up my line, there was no bait or fish on the end of it and the lure was bent and had teeth marks on it. The last time a shark took a cod from Bruce, it surfaced. It was sleek and dark--about 6 feet long.  

When we put in to shore, Bruce cleaned the fish. He uses everything. What can't be eaten is composted for his garden (except for the livers, which he throws to the gulls). He had me watch as he explained what he was doing. Afterwards, he gave me the fish and I ate it for supper. There was something profound about being part of this process which really is about subsistence in a place like Woody Point. There was a deep respect and gratitude for this abundance (and a few expletives for the sharks). Nothing was wasted and what was offered up was shared. Even the vegetables he grows in his garden, nourished by fish, are shared with the community.