In 1988, Discovery Channel introduced “Shark Week,” a programming idea intended to shift the narrative of what was – and still is – considered one of the deadliest animals in the ocean.
Shark Week (this year July 23-30) started as a series of documentaries and footage about this fascinating predator. Now, it’s a cultural phenomenon that captivates curious watchers across the world, fosters education and raises awareness on shark’s contribution to our ecosystem.
Sharks have been a topic of study for their long evolutionary lineage (more than 400 million years) and the wide range of adaptations that make them top predators in the marine environment.
Catherine Macdonald, professor and director of the Shark Research and Conservation Program at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science and director of Field School, provides insight on this misunderstood fish.
“Sharks are studied for all kinds of reasons – from scientists trying to understand the function of the ‘hammer’ on a hammerhead shark, to researching medical treatments for humans based on compounds in sharks, to learning more about the how and why of their movements through their habitats,” says Macdonald.
Shark attacks are less common than we think. Macdonald explains that there’s a greater risk of getting hurt in a car accident on the way to the beach than being bitten by a shark, and while we’ve seen an increasing number of shark attacks recently, these have not been more common in 2023 than during the same period in 2022.
According to Macdonald, scientists believe that most shark bites are exploratory (the shark was investigating the person it encountered) or accidental (the shark didn’t realize a person was a person and bit them by mistake).
“Sharks are a minor risk to humans when swimming in the ocean compared to other hazards like rip currents, drowning, dehydration or sunstroke,” she says. Still, scientists recommend avoiding swimming in low light hours or very murky water, where it might be harder for a shark to see you clearly and around schools of small fish, which are shark food.
“It can be helpful to remind people that most sharks are very different from the species we see on TV,” says Macdonald. In fact, they play an important ecological role in ocean ecosystems.
“Sharks control the size of prey population by feeding on them and can also play a role in changing their behaviors (a fish is likely to act differently depending on whether a shark is present or not, as they try to avoid the risk of being eaten), which affect the structure and function of ecosystems.”
Macdonald recommends the following books for those curious about sharks: “Why Sharks Matter: A Deep Dive With The World’s Most Misunderstood Predator” and “Shark Biology and Conservation: Essentials for Educators, Students and Enthusiasts.”
“It’s fine for someone to wish sharks well from a distance,” she says. “You don’t have to love them to want to see them (and our oceans) thrive.”
Photo courtesy of Catherine Macdonald