Shark Conservation

  For a few years now I have been especially interested in sharks. I can’t remember exactly what inspired this, but I do remember that I bought a stuffed shark from IKEA and I haven’t looked back since then. I have always been fascinated by the ocean - ever since I was very young I loved swimming, I loved the water, and I loved the animals that inhabited it; and as I grew older and learned more about some of the environmental concerns surrounding this, I became even more invested. 

Around two years ago I was staying at my grandparents’ house for a couple of weeks; I remember sitting on the couch in their basement as we all watched the Shark Week specials on the Animal Planet channel. The shows talked about species such as the mako shark, a shark that feeds in shallow areas and moves at incredible speeds - it also, unfortunately, happens to be spotted at many coastal beaches. The conservationists on the show discussed the initiatives that they were working on to protect this shark, explaining that, really, sharks are more afraid of humans than we are of them. This fact stuck with me for a very long time. I remember thinking that it was unfair that there was such a wide belief that sharks are evil or dangerous when in reality they are a suffering species with dwindling numbers; the last thing that they need is to be hated by the only species that can help recover their population. I also hold a strong belief that media such as Jaws and The Meg, as entertaining as they may be, are just that - entertainment. They should not be taken any further, but many still believe that sharks are dangerous, man-eating enemies that behave just as the characterizations of these species in popular media do.

Over the past few years, I have done my own research on the mako shark and many other shark species, and have taken as many opportunities as possible to talk about the issues that face them. I think that it is very important that we as humans make an effort to change our understanding of sharks, and realize that they are just as deserving of conservation as other endangered species are.

For those that are interested in learning more about sharks as a species and how we can help them, the following links can provide some useful information. Firstly, for some general information on sharks - their behaviour, how they work, their biology - there is the WWF database page. If you would like to learn about some of the threats that are faced by sharks, the charitable organization Shark Trust has a page that explores that topic in detail. Lastly, the OCEARCH Shark Tracker tracks sharks and various other aquatic species around the world, giving you a look at their migration patterns. These three websites are only a fraction of the possible sources to learn more about sharks; there are many ways to educate yourself and others on the issue at hand.