Jaws is probably my all-time favorite movie. I watch it every time it’s on and know most of the dialogue by heart. Seeing this movie at a young age did make me scared of the ocean, and I’m still trying to work through that irrational fear. That’s why I love Discovery Channel’s annual SHARK WEEK, which starts this Sunday, August 2nd. Not only do they cover the blood and gore we associate with sharks, they also discuss the real risks of attack and well as the pressing need to help save sharks.
First, your odds of being attacked by a shark are ridiculously low. In 2000, here were the risk of attack in the United States:
Drowning and other beach-related fatalities: 1 in 2 million
Drowning fatalities: 1 in 3.5 million
Shark attacks: 1 in 11.5 million
Shark attack fatalities: 0 in 264.1 million
In the U.S., you are 30 times more likely to be killed by a strike of lightning than a shark. Granted, being eaten by a shark would be much, much worse than a bolt of lightning. But, you have to go with the statistics. Many more people die each year in cars driving to the beach than by a shark in the water.
Second, we are a far greater risk to sharks than sharks are to people. Each year, over 100 MILLION sharks are killed globally. During the past 15 years, the shark population has been depleted by 80%. Sharks grow and reproduce slowly, and this means that the shark population is in real trouble.
So, watch Shark Week to gawk at the gore, but also watch to learn and marvel. Sharks are amazing animals, and they need our help.
Photo courtesy of Flickr: StormyDog
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