A Close Encounter in the San Juans
A young woman fishing off Friday Harbor defends her boat against a shark, nearly capsizing in the process.
Judge E. D. Warbasse was over to Roche Harbor and English Camp during the past week and informs us that the young folks at the north end are catching large hauls of salmon along the west coast of this island, more especially opposite Mitchell's Bay. One of Mr. Kirk's daughters, while engaged in this sport recently, had quite an experience with a large shark which undertook to get a salmon from her hook while hauling it in. By persistent efforts in plying her oar on Mr. Shark's head, she succeeded in getting the better of him, but in diving, he slashed the boat with his tail, nearly upsetting it. This same lady made a haul of sixty-two good-sized fish one day last week.
“By persistent efforts in plying her oar on Mr. Shark's head, she succeeded in getting the better of him.”
The San Juan Islands remain a prime destination for salmon fishing today, though sightings of large sharks near human activity are rare. The story captures the rugged, self-reliant spirit of late 19th-century island life in Washington.
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