The Hollywood Syndrome and the Human Impact on Sharks
Jaws, The Shallows, Deep Blue Sea, The Reef, Ghost Shark and 47 Meters Down are only a few of numerous movies that demonize the shark. Basically all these movies are about creating fear and people get entertained by feeling scared. We actually pay to feel scared. We even have documentaries showing how deadly and ferocious the shark is. The scripts are very dramatic and they create a tense ambient accompanied by tragic cinematic music to get you into the scary mood. I watch such documentaries and I laugh.
The deadliest animal on earth after the human being is .......the mosquito. Yes, it is the mosquito that kills around 500,000 people every year due to malaria and other transmitted diseases. Other 50 thousand people die every year from snake bites. While the shark is responsible for only 10 human fatalities per year most of which are surfers as they mistake them for seals. When you think about it, you are more likely to die from flu than by a shark. But we are still scared shit to death when we see one at sea. The most dangerous shark species are the Great White, the Bull Shark and the Tiger Shark. Now these are 3 out of hundreds of different shark species. So please keep your knickers in place whenever you see a shark. I am not saying go and feed a Great White. Actually try to stay away from the 3 species I mentioned above. Do not bother them and they won’t bother you. Simple.
Sharks outlived the dinosaurs. 400 million years old shark fossils where found and us humans are currently killing around 70 million sharks every year. This is an ongoing massacre that is taking place in our oceans. There are shark species including the Great White and the Hammerhead sharks that are in danger of becoming extinct. We will only be able to admire them on YouTube. This massacre is taking place in such a fast pace that we are not leaving enough time for them to reproduce and replace our catch.
Shark fins are a delicacy in Asia and thousand of sharks are killed every day for their fin to make soups. They are also fished together with blue fin tuna and marlin for their meat in most other continents. Over fishing and also by-catch are other causes to the decline of such species together with dolphins, turtles and whales.
Most countries created marine conservation areas where no fishing and anchoring is allowed. However not all countries are monitoring and enforcing their marine protection laws. But it is not all dark clouds. The young Asian generation are eating less shark soup that is normally served at weddings. Fishermen who used to hunt sharks daily are now marine tour guides for divers who like to admire these amazing creatures. Their fishing boats are now diving boats. Such transformations must continue to expand across the planet. We need to create more awareness and educate communities that there are lucrative alternatives to shark fishing.
Do not scare your kids with sharks. Our children are our future. Teach them to love all animals and nature. We are no longer in the Stone Age era where we need to hunt to survive. We evolved and we can live peacefully together with all species.