Any shark to be used as food should be cleaned immediately. If the blood is not drained from the system right away, the urea deteriorates into ammonia and results in the pungent odor and dry taste characteristic of poorly handled shark meat.

So, don't just throw your shark on ice at the dock like you would other fish. Instead, follow these tips for cleaning your shark:

• After gutting, dunk the shark in water to wash out as much blood as possible
  
  
• Put the shark on ice
  
  
• At the dock, cut the shark's head all the way around and make a cut from the head to the tail on both the top and bottom sides
  
  
• Using a pair of pliers in one hand and holding the head and tail in the other, skin the shark
  
  
• Then cut the head and tail off, remove the underlying layer of dark meat, and cut the shark into filets
  
  
• Wash thoroughly and package the shark for freezing or cooking as you would any other fish.