The Greenland shark, which is basically a super-large relation of our humble dogfish, could become a source of fuel for the Inuit people.
The proposal is one of many currently being made around the world to solve energy shortages, some of which could turn out to be realistic while others may attract huge opposition or turn out to be plain daft.
Greenland shark grow up to about 6m (20ft) in length and a tonne in weight, they are regarded as a pest by fishermen and their flesh is toxic to humans.
However, researchers at Greenland’s Arctic Technology Centre (ARTEK) are trying to devise a technique for rendering them down to fuel.
They have calculated that biofuel manufactured from Greenland shark and waste from normal seafood processing could supply 13% of the energy required by communities such as Uummannaq, where 2,450 people live.
Next year, the plan is to set up an organic waste treatment plant in a project financed by Europe in Uum mannaq using shark meat mixed with waste water and macro-algae to create a fish mince that can be used to produce biogas.
Local fishermen claim that the nets of trawlers can become stuffed with this apparently voracious predator. They also cause damage to other types of fishing net and to long-lines.
The main interest of Greenlandic fishermen is shrimp and a type of flatfish known as the Greenland halibut. They are the huge island’s most valuable exports.
Inuit once hunted for this shark because they could use its teeth to make knives and its liver oil to light homes.
Allegedly, it has now “become a problem for the environment.”
Basically, those that are caught get thrown back – mostly dead – and so pollute the sea floor with their rotting carcases.
As it is, Greenlanders usually dispose of fishing-industry waste and household waste water by throwing them into the sea.
Aksel Blytmann, a consultant at Greenland’s fishing and hunting association, says the shark could turn out to be an “unexpected energy source”.
He said that there was once a bounty of more than £20 paid for every heart of Greenland shark caught.
This continues in some parts of Greenland to this day.
But the International Union for the Conservation of Nature disagrees, as does UK-headquartered Worldwide Fund for Nature.
Anne-Marie Bjerg, a WWF specialist on ocean mammals, has warned against the idea of turning Greenland shark into fuel and says the species is not the problem that has been claimed.
“We know very little about the Greenland shark, which lives in a limited geographic zone, the Arctic,” she said.