Shark fishermen with catch

Photographer David Potts (1926 - 2012)

Date1957 - 1958

Object number00019132

NamePhotograph

MediumSilver gelatin photographic print on fibre base paper

DimensionsImage: 305 x 455 mm
Overall: 405 x 505 mm, 0.06 kg
Sheet: 405 x 505 mm

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection

Collections

Sharks

Terms

DescriptionThis image shows Alfred Dean, Tom Cooper and Ken Puckeridge on a small beach with an upturned Great White shark in the water. It 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.HistoryThe series of images by David Potts depicts a group of three fishermen hunting seals and angling for white pointer sharks on board a hired 28-foot charter boat called VICTORY off the coast of Ceduna, South Australia. The fishermen were Alfred Dean, a farmer from Mildura and holder of the record (in 1957) for 'capturing the largest fish landed by rod and reel in South Australian waters'- a massive 1150 kilo white pointer shark. Tom Cooper, a long time fishing companion of Dean's and owner of the South Australian brewery 'Coopers'. Ken Puckeridge, a professional fisherman and owner of the VICTORY, one of the largest fishing boats available for charter in the area at the time and also one of the oldest. VICTORY was not specifically fitted for big game fishing and all the essentials such as the fishing chair (a converted tractor seat), gaffs and other equipment were provided by Dean and Cooper. The charter cost £5 per day per person. Potts' images begin with the fishermen hunting seals for bait on the coastal rock ledges near Ceduna. The seals were shot with a .22 rifle and hauled back to the boat where the blubber is removed and sewn around the chain connecting the thick hooks and woven wire trace. The seal livers were removed to bait the hooks and the seal carcasses hung from the aft platform of the boat to settle in the water. A berley (shark bait) trail was created by mixing the seal carcasses with a mixture of putrid bullock’s blood and whale oil dripping from a can over the stern. The boat then steered in a wide circle making a sweeping berley trail eventually anchoring in the middle. On the first day at 9am Dean caught a large female white pointer, weighing approximately 816 kilos. The shark was taken ashore, the hooks removed, its stomach slashed open and left to rot on the beach. One hour after it was killed and dismembered the shark's jaws were still able to slam together with great speed and force when Potts touched them. The best day’s catch was four large sharks. The last of these sharks was attacked by the fishermen with a hammer and shot with a rifle. The larger sharks were towed alongside the boat to the weighing station, the smaller sharks were not weighed and were dumped in the shallows of the shore. Potts focuses on a spectacular struggle between a large shark and Dean showing the tremendous effort required to hold the fishing rod and the extraordinary momentum employed by the shark in the water. The shark eventually escaped having straightened out the massive hook.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.