Opening Jaws

Monday 11 May 2009

In 1974, Peter Benchley wrote a novel that became a cult movie. Jaws portrayed sharks as bloodthirsty killing machines with an insatiable appetite for humans. The film gave rise to the intentional slaughter of many innocent animals; it branded sharks as man-eaters and instilled fear and loathing of them, a perception that continues. By Leslie Rochat. Ad concept from the astute synaptic antics of Conn Bertish

Peter never envisaged the power of his imagination to impact so negatively on the way people think about sharks. Riveting images changed the way we felt about using the sea. No longer could we enter the sea without being haunted by the fear of a black fin slicing through the water towards us. There might be nothing more terrifying than the cry of ‘shark!’ when we are in the ocean, but if sharks could speak, you would hear ‘people!’.

Over 100 million sharks are slaughtered annually. Populations are plummeting. Already, 110 species on the international Red List are threatened with extinction. For all their perceived menace, sharks are extremely fragile, and in deep trouble.

Sharks play a vital role in maintaining the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. Recent scientific reports show that the decline in shark numbers will lead to the collapse of all fisheries by the year 2050. As shark catches inrease, fish stocks decline, a severe repercussion for millions of people who depend on the ocean for food. Sharks are good indicators of the health of the oceans, but despite their importance in the marine food-chain, they remain a low conservation priority.

Peter Benchley understood how serious the plight of sharks was. He had a public change of heart before he died in 2006. He regretted demonising the shark and became an ardent marine and shark conservationist: “Today I could not, for instance, portray the shark as a villain, especially not as a mindless carnivore that attacks boats and humans with reckless abandon. No, the shark in an updated Jaws not be the villain; it would have to be written as the victim. For world-wide, sharks are much more the oppressed than the oppressors.”

The negative impacts we are having on our environment has been dominating world news. The future of the human race is looking bleak. The only fear we need to encourage now is fear of species loss and the implications thereof, and fear of the largely unknown repercussions of what human greed, abuse and neglect of our planet will cause, and already is. Whether it is too late still remains to be seen but one thing is for sure, we need to work together – our own survival hinges on it.

We need improved public perception to win the battle - irresponsible TV and media portrayal of sharks’ perpetuates poor perceptions of them which only add to their threat. Decision makers, whether they are in government, media companies, television or newspapers, have the power to help us save our planet’s resources or not. They can choose to continue accelerating the demise of these much maligned animals, which will ultimately result in the demise of humankind as everything in nature is connected; or they can help us save them so we might save ourselves.

Then to set the records straight: Although there are over 400 different species of sharks only 10% are considered dangerous; and sharks do not consider people natural prey. If they did people would be bitten and eaten daily – this simply does not happen. Though the number of shark bites has increased globally, this is largely attributed to human population growth and more water users spending increased amounts of time in the ocean. The reasons sharks bite people are mostly unknown, but possibly because of mistaken identity, curiosity, investigation and in few cases, aggression.

Considering the daily number of water users, the actual number of shark bites is extremely low – only 1 person in the entire world was killed by a shark last year. There are many other ocean related dangers that pose far greater risks. The biggest danger is the water itself – many more people drown every year while swimming in the sea than are bitten by sharks: The odds of ever being killed by a shark are a staggering 1 in 265 million, whereas the odds of drowning in the sea are 1 in 3.5 million. Informed decisions and responsible behaviour while using the sea will greatly lower any associated risk.

If you decide to believe in the propaganda of films like JAWS, or sensational headlines whenever there is a shark encounter, remember they were created with two things in mind: to scare the living daylights out of you and make loads of money while doing it – sensationalism sells, no matter how far from the truth it is. There is only one truth - we have very little to fear from sharks, they have everything to fear from us – it is time to Rethink the Shark, and turn the mirror to Rethink the Predator!

Lesley Rochat is the Manager and Director of Education & Awareness of the Save Our Seas Shark Centre, and the Founder of the AfriOceans Conservation Alliance. The Rethink the Shark campaign, designed by Saatchi & Saatchi, has won a prestigious Panda award from the Wildscreen Film Festival for best campaign ad, while the documentary Shark in Deep Trouble, produced by Lesley Rochat, won an award in the Montana CINE International Film Festival for its conservation message. To find out more visit www.saveourseas.com or www.aoca.org.za

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