With Shark Week this week, I feel that it's important to address everything that is wrong with it. But first, I'd like to start out by explaining my background with sharks and why I am speaking out against Shark Week. I LOVE sharks. They are my favorite animal and I care very much about them. In fact, I am only four open water dives away from becoming a PADI certified SCUBA diver— a certification that will allow me to fulfill my lifelong dream to swim among the sharks. Sharks are the very reason why I feel compelled to complete my PADI SCUBA certification. I feel so passionately about the animal, which is why I take issue with Shark Week and refuse to watch it. That may sound counterintuitive, but believe me— I mean what I say. I don’t watch Shark Week because I really love sharks.
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To love sharks, is not to be entertained by them. To love sharks, is to care deeply about the significance of their existence. Unfortunately, Shark Week fails to appeal to true shark lovers like myself. As a shark lover, I am turned off by the content that Discovery Channel puts out about these creatures due to the frequent use of pseudoscience and fear mongering. Specials like “Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives” and “Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine” have no place in the scientific community. By showing these specials and others, Discovery Channel lost integrity, the support of the scientific community and the respect of shark lovers. These fictional specials engrain a false perception of the species into the minds of viewers. They become instilled with fear and hatred of sharks. This feeling toward sharks, will only spark curiosity about the ferocity of the animal instead of more important topics.
It can be argued that not all of the specials that air during Shark Week advertise the ferocity of the animal. However, even these more researched specials that do not emphasize blatant fiction and lies, inaccurately portray sharks. The specials about shark migrations, mating and tricks do not reflect the big picture. These shows do not spark any interest in shark conservation— the topic that Shark Week needs to put emphasis on, instead of exploiting sharks to gammer high ratings. While many viewers enjoy watching the power of the majestic sharks in action during Shark Week, the effort toward conservation should be a much higher priority than entertainment value. I feel that Discovery Channel fails to explain what makes sharks deserving of our love, attention, and respect. Instead of using Shark Week to promote what I perceive to be the money-making agenda of Discovery Channel, the specials should reflect the truth about sharks. Research from experts and footage of the sharks in their natural habitat should be used to promote conservation instead of misunderstandings and fear. Discovery Channel needs to stop exploiting and demonizing these majestic, beautiful and fascinating creatures for ratings. This strategy of exploiting and demonizing sharks does not spark any interest in conservation. If anything, the fear instilled by the week of specials only adds to the problem. The high ratings that Shark Week achieves for Discovery Channel also help the company to profit.
Recently, Discovery Channel partnered with Southwest Airlines in an ingenious promotional strategy to help both companies profit immensely. In this venture, Discovery Channel and Southwest Airlines teamed up to put into commercial use a plane painted specifically for Shark Week. The in-flight entertainment is Shark Week themed, and even has special viewable content that flyers can access before Shark Week even begins. If this venture does not scream, “Discovery Channel has one single agenda with Shark Week and it’s to profit,” I’m really not sure how else to convince you of what I strongly feel is true. Something else to point out here, is how interesting it is to see this partnership materialize, considering the outrage the airline received from its long-time partnership with SeaWorld, a theme park infamously known for its captive orca whales. When this partnership between Southwest Airlines and SeaWorld ended, the reason given was, “Southwest is spreading its wings with new international service, and increased focus on local market efforts.” Southwest did not make any mention of animal rights as their reason for the split, which leads me to believe that the company feels the same way about the sharks that Shark Week exploits for entertainment value. It's the same situation-- just a different company and a different marine animal.
Even if you aren’t convinced or just don’t care about Discovery Channel’s singular agenda to make profit from Shark Week, I at least hope that you will support what I believe Discovery Channel needs to incorporate in its Shark Week programming. Most if not all of these specials that are a part of Shark Week do not discuss the problem: many species of sharks are endangered due to humans. Millions of sharks are killed each year for only their fins. Humans cut off the fins of live sharks, and discard the rest of the shark back into the ocean to bleed to death. Anyone who is an animal lover should support the movement I am calling for— for Discovery Channel to address this issue, and promote shark conservation. Even though the practice of shark finning is banned in the United States, the shark fin trade is still going on. Similarly to the ivory trade, the shark fin trade is a monstrosity. On June 23rd, actor Morgan Freeman came to Capitol Hill to support bipartisan legislation banning the sale of shark fins. The shark fin trade needs to stop, and Discovery Channel— a huge influence on the public— should use Shark Week to promote the halting of this practice. Instead of pinning sharks as a huge threat to humans and the bullies of the ocean, Discovery Channel should point out that violent humans are more of a threat to the gentle sharks. There doesn’t even need to be any graphic imagery. All Discovery Channel needs to do is address that shark finning is an inappropriate and cruel practice.
Even if Discovery Channel doesn’t want to promote a political agenda, the least they can do is talk about the environmental impacts caused by shark finning in a special. As apex predators of the ocean, killing an estimated 100 million sharks a year has severe repercussions on the food chain and the entire ocean ecosystem. Sharks are slow to mature and produce few offspring during their lifetime. This makes them extremely susceptible to extinction. With many species of shark nearly extinct due to humans over-hunting, Discovery Channel can’t just act like sharks are some beastly creatures that roam the oceans forever. These creatures are being killed alive at the hands of humans. After the humans cut off the fins of a shark, they frequently toss it back into the ocean, where the shark is unable to swim properly and is left to bleed to death or suffocate. We humans are causing a huge negative impact on our oceans due to this over-hunting.
It’s time for Discovery Channel to take action and publically promote shark conservation by sharing the true story. Sharks are being killed only for their fins— a sin that rivals the ivory trade. Let’s respect these creatures. For now, they are more than what you see on the TV during Shark Week.
Check out the documentary, "Shark Girl" for a closer look at the issues that surround sharks today.
