Shark week is understandably one of the most watched television events of the summer reeling in well over 2.5 million viewers just last year. For many people, this may be the only week in which they are interested in sharks; in other words, the information they see on Discovery Channel could be the only shark information they ever encounter. Putting the public's depiction of sharks into the hands of a channel that convinced many who tuned into the 2013 mockumentary "Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives" that Megaladons still exist somewhere in the big old blue is a precarious situation.
As a lover of sharks who plans on one day diving with sharks (cage-free), I worry that the portrayal of sharks during Shark Week is devastating to the populations and respect for many shark species. The depiction of sharks on Discovery Channel is mostly research based, but the narrations and cinematography take a nasty bite into the true prowess of sharks. In 2015, only six people were fatally attacked by sharks. According to research, more people die while taking selfies than by being hunted by a shark. To make this bloodthirsty depiction of sharks even worse, human beings kill over 100 million sharks each year, sometimes simply for their fins. To kill a huge apex predator in such large numbers just for their fins, for sport, or even as a consequence of fishing is outrageous. I personally happen to think our human population can survive without the "delicacy" of Shark Fin Soup. Sharks are essential to the entire ecosystem of the ocean. Without sharks, balance in the food chain is thrown off completely. Other entire species cease to exist, or like algae, overgrow into huge beds of flourishing green with no fish to keep its growth in balance.
To be intimidated by a fairly elusive, and survival-motivated shark that humans have the advantage over with a 50,000,000 : 3 ratio shouldn't be perpetuated by Shark Week. Shark Week instead should focus on shark conservation and research. Discovery Channel claims that the shows this week will be more based on research than before, but after just one evening of watching, deceitful narration could throw off their entire event. In the show "Isle of Jaws" that aired Sunday night, a diver in a cage accidentally opened one of the cage doors. He was staying fairly calm, and the shark by the cage did not even react to this. The shark was obviously just curious as to why there was a huge cage in his habitat (duh) yet narration escalated the situation to something far worse. Yes, I get it, learning about such terrible monsters that exist in our world is more interesting than focusing on the importance of those "monsters", but sometimes humans have to sacrifice their viewing pleasure if we want to save an entire ecosystem.
Shark Week is one of my favorite weeks because people like me who love sharks and are fascinated by them are actually heard in their cries to save the sharks. Don't let Shark Week brainwash you into thinking that sharks are the monsters on this planet.
If you want to learn more about shark and ocean conservation and see some pretty fascinating and frankly beautiful images of sharks:
follow these accounts on instagram:
@oceanicramsey @juansharks @waterinspired @oceana @lonelywhale @shells4sharks and @sharkaddicts
visit these websites (just some of the many)
http://www.sharksider.com/
http://www.bite-back.com/
http://www.sharksavers.org/en/home/
watch these videos
consider purchasing the new Lokai bracelet that donates proceeds to shark conservation
http://mylokai.com/shop/lokai-bracelet-shark.html
and a shells4sharks necklace handmade for sharks
(which is one of my favorite necklaces ever) http://hawaiisharkdiver.com/products/shells-4-shar...
