Stop talking about jaws and start talking about fins.
Due to media dramatization and popular movies such as Jaws, The Shallows, 47 Meters Down and many more, it’s no surprise that many children and adults have a fear of sharks. These movies and the news teach us that sharks are monsters that roam our seas with a mission to attack humans. However, sharks are not the monsters they’re made out to be, and they play a valuable part within our oceans.
In the 1970s, the fear towards sharks increased with the release of the 1975 movie Jaws. People became afraid to go to the beach and ran away at the sight of ocean life. Jaws left a lasting impression on viewers: one in which sharks deliberately seek to attack and kill humans, and should be killed to prevent such attacks. These assumptions are false and are harmful to shark populations.
The idea that sharks purposely seek out humans and always kill humans in attacks is quite wrong. Sharks, specifically great white, tiger and bull sharks, often bite surfers and swimmers in open waters out of curiosity. When surfers and beachgoers wade in ocean waters with brightly colored boards and splashing swim patterns, sharks get curious as to what is floating on the surface. Thus, to investigate, sharks will take a bite or nibble of this foreign object to figure out what it is, as sharks use their mouths in the same manner that we use our hands—to feel. This means that when sharks bite humans, it will often only be one bite, which is usually non-fatal. Despite the usual non-fatal nature of shark attacks, humans still seek out measures to prevent shark attacks and to dwindle the shark populations.
The purposeful killing of wild sharks to prevent sharks from attacking humans is called shark culling, and it is still used in some regions today. The areas that currently partake in shark culling efforts are Queensland and New South Wales in Australia, KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and the Reunion Island in France. The most popular method of shark culling is the use of shark nets, which trap wild sharks and attempt to prevent them from approaching the shore. However, the use of these nets is harmful to shark populations, as sharks will inevitably get caught within these and will drown.
Alongside purposeful efforts to reduce shark populations, the hunting of sharks for their fins drastically decreases their numbers as well. Shark finning is the process of capturing a shark, cutting off the shark’s fins while it’s still alive and then throwing the shark back into the ocean to die. Shark finning exists for the sole purpose of creating shark fin soup, which is a popular dish within East Asia. It is a completely unsustainable practice that is harmful to our oceans.
Sharks deserve our attention, and in a positive light, because humans are completely decimating their population. On average, humans kill 100 million sharks annually. This poses a huge problem for our oceans, as sharks are apex predators and help maintain a balanced ocean ecosystem. We need sharks within our oceans, and we need to keep these issues within our thoughts and debates.