Sharks have always received a bad rep and that may be attributed to the famous movie, Jaws. However, that movie has it all wrong. According to Oceana, there are 500 different shark species and only about a dozen are considered to be potentially dangerous to humans. Although movies and people for centuries have portrayed sharks as highly dangerous, science and statistics say they have it all wrong.
The odds of being killed by a shark are very rare. You are more likely to be struck by lightening or killed by a dog than a shark, according to Ocean Portal. People believe sharks are dangerous most likely due to the negative media coverage. However, humans are more dangerous to sharks than they are to us.
Sea Shepard Conservation Society says, over 8,000 tons of shark fins are processed each year. The fins only amount to 4% of a shark's bodyweight. This means that some 200,000 tons of shark are thrown back into the sea and discarded. All thanks to humans for shark finning, 18 species have gone endangered according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Humans yet again have taken advantage of these majestic creatures that have roamed the ocean floor since before dinosaurs.
The advice given by professionals on how to stay safe from sharks are pretty simple: stay aware. Do not be frightened be respectful. Sharks are the king of the food chain. They have six highly refined senses: smell, hearing, touch, taste, sight, and electromagnetism. Making them highly skilled hunters, serving as top predators. This is a good thing though because it keeps populations of prey species in check. Endangerment of sharks can cause a loss of balance to the ecosystem.
Next time you decide to take that family trip to Florida, educate your children on the truth about sharks and not only the scary stories. Stay aware in the ocean and know most sharks like us are just curious. Protect sharks and other marine life by donating and contributing solutions to the problem. Remember, they were here first, if anything we are the danger, not them.
