Shark Week: Fact vs. Fiction
One of America's most hyped media events is set to return for its 36th year. Shark Week, this year hosted by Aquaman himself, Hawaiian actor Jason Momoa, returns to the Discovery channel, and something like 40 million of us will tune in. Meanwhile, not to be outdone, National Geographic is in the middle of SharkFest, its month-long celebration of sharks, and for those of us who love cheesy science fiction/horror movies, “The Meg II: the Trench” featuring the massive prehistoric forerunner of the great white-- Megalodon-- opens on the very big screen on August 3.
Meanwhile, real sharks have been back in the news. On Long Island, after a spate of shark incidents-- like five in one week, none thankfully fatal-- drones have been patrolling beaches looking for signs of sharks. At least one beach delayed opening on July 4th after officials said drones spotted some 50 sand sharks that morning near a popular beach park. When the beach reopened, swimmers were advised to stay close to shore.
So as we lean into sharks for the summer, let’s tease out some facts from fiction.
For one, we’ve discovered over 500 species of shark; as recently as the mid-1980s, people like me would teach that there were more than 300 species. So that's a 40% increase in just the last 40 years. Most recently, a species of demon catshark was named, discovered in an Australian fish collection. (And isn’t demon catshark just a great name?)
In 2023, we are STILL finding new shark species.
But sadly we are losing them too.
Some shark biologists estimate we are losing 100 million sharks worldwide annually, which translate into 11,500 sharks every hour. In the last 50 years alone, shark populations have steeply declined, decreasing more than 70%.
Perhaps the main reason for this is shark finning, the inhumane practice where fishers hunt solely for the fin, which is chopped off the living animal, the finless shark thrown back into the ocean to die. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay--famous for his anger-- said that seeing a shark being de-finned was the worst act of animal cruelty he's ever seen.
The fins are sold for shark fin soup, a delicacy that requires a constant influx of new fins. Though the US and the EU have both banned the sale of shark fins, the trade has only increased, and illegal poaching is rampant.
Meanwhile, while shark bites capture headlines worldwide, the fact is only a handful of people die annually from shark bites, with something like 50 bites reported annually resulting in 8 or 9 deaths…
And oceans need top predators like sharks to keep entire food chains healthy; without a top predator, the system collapses.
So a handful of people annually die from shark attacks, but 100 million sharks die annually from human attacks.
I’ll give Jason Momoa this: he has a deep knowledge of sharks. They are “my original passion,” he told People magazine. He’s a self-described "nerd" who studied marine and wildlife biology in college before he pursued acting, and is also known for his conservation work and crusade against single-use plastic bottles. He said he was excited to "meet the people who encounter" sharks. "I got to meet people I've always wanted to meet and pick their brains, so that was fun."
Let’s hope this conservation ethic flows through the network’s programming this season.
If you’re a fan of Shark Week, do dive into your guilty pleasure, of course, and marvel at these magnificent beasts, but then support the important work of organizations fighting for the future of sharks, like the Shark Trust and World Wildlife Fund.
And skip “The Meg II”: ugh.