Alfred Dean fishing

Photographer David Potts (1926 - 2012)

Date1957-1958

Object number00019116

NamePhotograph

MediumSilver gelatin photographic print on fibre base paper

DimensionsSheet: 505 x 405 mm
Image: 305 x 455 mm
Overall: 505 x 405 mm, 0.06 kg

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionThis image shows shark fisherman Alfred Dean straining with the rod and is part of a photo essay by David Potts called 'Hunting the Killer of the South Seas' which records big game fishing for Great White sharks off Ceduna, South Australia. Potts presented the story of Alfred Dean and Dean's personal war on the Great White shark. In 1957 he held the record for landing the largest fish on record with a rod and reel, a 'man-eating' Great White weighing 1150 kilos. Over a six-day period Potts followed a group of big game fishermen and photographed every step of their expedition From shooting seals as bait, preparing the hooks, the 'fight' between man and beast and the eventual shark capture and dismemberment, his realistic and unstaged approach to the subject matter was revolutionary at the time and reveals much about life in 1950s Australia.HistoryThis photograph is one in a series of 54 black and white prints forming a photographic essay on angling for great white (or white pointer) sharks off Ceduna, South Australia. The series depicts Alfred Dean, a farmer from Mildura, a fishing friend of Dean's, Tom Cooper, and the owner of VICTORY, Ken Puckeridge, in the series. Dean held the record for the largest fish landed by rod and reel, by catching a man-eating great white weighing 2536 pounds (1150kgs) in the waters of the Great Australian Bight. The series documents Dean, Cooper and Puckeridge hunting seals for bait on reefs near Ceduna. The seals are shot, hauled back to the boat where the blubber is removed and sewn around the chain connecting the thick hooks and woven wire trace. The liver is removed to bait the razor sharp forged hooks. The seal carcasses are hung from the aft platform of the launch. The scent trail of the seals is supplemented by whale oil dripping from a can over the stern of the launch. This is supplemented with a can of putrid steers blood which mingles with the whale and seal oil. As seen in this photograph, once the bait is set Puckeridge is seen struggling with a great white on the line. The shark is eventually brought to the side of the boat. The series includes detailed shots of sharks, seals, hooks, bait, as well as dramatic action shots of battling a great white.SignificanceSharks were seen as man-eating monsters in Australia in the 1950s and were hunted viciously as big game trophies. This was a blood sport that was brutal, dangerous, and yet continues to fascinate. Australia was internationally recognised as the best place to hunt for sharks. In a sport where biggest is best the Great White Shark or White Pointer was the ultimate trophy for fishermen hungry for records and recognition.

With the Great White shark now an endangered and protected species this 'snap shot in time' is the polar opposite of how the creature is treated and perceived today.