The still popular 1975 movie ‘Jaws’ has helped to warrant that the mention of the word “shark” will usually conjure up images of man eating masters of the sea. The movie is centered on a great white shark which goes on a killing spree in a fictional holiday town, prompting the local police to hunt it down with the help of a marine biologist.
Fast forward to 1988 and ‘Shark Week’ premiers on the Discovery Channel. Shark Week which just ended on the 17th of August has for the last 27 years been aired annually in July or August with a week-long series of programs on sharks. It is the longest running programing on cable television. The show was partly inspired by ‘Jaws’ and was started with the aim of raising awareness on and respect for sharks.
Over the years, the show has been leaning more and more towards entertainment rather than education. Despite having the highest ratings ever this year with up to 3.5 million viewers per show, the show has had a stream of criticism posted on its social media feeds from scientists and other viewers irked by what they call “docufiction”, “mockumentary” and “fakumentary.”
“Can we have less shows about legendary or mythical or generally bogus animals and perhaps get back to some genuine documentary film making entertainment?” asks J. D. Lombardi on the Shark Week face book page. “It was nice when I learned something. Now I have to hear about ‘submarine’ shark and ‘what if’ the Megalodon was still alive.”
“Megalodon was a monster prehistoric shark that grew 60 feet in length and fed on whales. Thank goodness it is extinct…or is it?” This is what is posted on Discovery Channel’s website about the shark.
Indeed, the mysteries of the deep blue sea are not always what it seems as portrayed in Hollywood. Despite the ferociousness associated with the word shark, these feared fish kill only five people annually. That said sharks should still be given a healthy respect for their potential danger to humans. Certain facts need to be gotten right.
There are over 400 species of sharks of different shapes and sizes, the largest (47,000 pounds) being the whale shark which was first discovered in Cape Town South Africa. Sharks are great swimmers, the fastest being the short fin mako which swims at 46 miles per hour. The relatively small bull shark has a bite force potential of 1,600 pounds. Sharks have four rows of teeth and generally attack one hundred feet from shore.
Most of these attacks have occurred in South Africa, North America and Australia. In the Seychelles, shark attacks are very rare and in recent history two were recorded in Anse Lazio of a French man on honeymoon and soon after a British tourist, prompting the authorities to close the beach for six months.
“I wish shark week was more about the conservation of sharks, and what we can do to protect them” posted Devin Hawskins on Shark Week’s facebook page. “All of these ‘megaladon’ and ‘killer shark’ shows are fueling the fire that sharks are nothing but mindless man eating machines.”
In deed, it’s a fact that sharks are in more need of protection from humans than vice versa with 100 million taken out of the seas annually.
Photos: 1) Whale shark (by Michel Vely) 2) Shark Week pomotion photo 3) Shark jaws displayed at Mahe market a few years ago 4) Shark attack fact photo (courtesy of Curosity)