O
ver the course of millions of years,
sharks have earned their reputations
as effective and impressive predators.
The first humans to encounter these
animals must have been astonished,
afraid and fascinated — attitudes that continue to this
day. Historically, we have hunted sharks, displayed them
as trophies and eaten them; only recently have we learned
how vulnerable they are to our presence. Through the
growing awareness that sharks actually require our
protection, a global conservation movement was born.
Still, perspectives toward sharks remain mixed. While
many popular media outlets such as Discovery Channel’s
sensationalistic Shark Week consistently stoke our fear,
convincing us that shark attacks are ever prevalent and
always on the rise, sharks are also one of the most popular
groups of wild animals on the planet. People love to watch
them and will pay serious money to observe them in the
water. Some students happily sacrifice several years of
their lives, in addition to substantial monetary investment,
simply to be able to study them. Play your cards right, and
you can even become a shark celebrity, featured on some of
the many popular documentaries about these compelling
creatures. In 2014, fictional sharks were hurled from within
tornadoes — for the second time. If a shark is spotted from
a boat, the evening news immediately broadcasts the event.
Stock in sharks is higher than it has ever been, but has the
newfound ubiquity of the shark in popular culture blurred
the truth about the animal’s status?
About 25 percent of all shark species are threatened
with extinction. The issue, however, is actually much
more complex. Many shark species are vulnerable to
even low levels of fishing pressure. For example, one
species of thresher shark gives birth to only two pups
every year, and it takes them nearly 13 years to reach
maturity. It is not difficult to imagine why this species
would be at particular risk. Similarly, the shark-fin
market is responsible for the death of tens of millions of
sharks every year. Some species have declined more than
90 percent in recent years and will likely require decades
under informed management before they begin to show
signs of population recovery.
Text and photos by Austin Gallagher
Shark: An Icon on the Rise
20
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FALL 2014
DIVE SLATE
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A great hammerhead shark (Sphyma mokarran) cruises over
a shallow sand flat off the island of Bimini in the Bahamas.
