Combatting The Media's Portrayal Of Sharks



But for sharks that doesn't really apply. Any unexpected shark encounter almost always ends up on the news, spun as a bloody horrific monster attack. 

The truth is we're wiping sharks out at a rate of over 2 PER SECOND. Meanwhile the average number of people killed by sharks is about 8 yearly. With our population increasing and the ocean being depleted, warmed, and changed by us, just 8 is pretty astounding when you take the time to think about it! What's more is sharks have kept the oceans healthy through five mass extinctions, before trees even! The same ocean that produces half the oxygen we breathe and covers over 2/3's of this planet. Marine ecosystems are very delicate, overfishing and invasive species have shown us this. Whether people like sharks or not, we NEED them! The ocean needs them. Taking sharks out of the equation would be a disaster.

So why spin them as mindless man eating machines on TV? Simple. Fear sells. Fear gets views. Even Discovery Channel, which was previously a channel dedicated to education has cashed in on the version of sharks that gets them the views they need.

Our goal is to try and get people to see how sharks really act and how important they are. Through our partners at One Ocean Diving we've been able to help and witness people swim with sharks for their first time and on a DAILY basis watch their perception of shark behavior change! Our hard working partners truly do create new shark lovers and advocates everyday. This helps us create some serious strength in numbers over our social media platforms whenever we need help protecting these animals! Whether it be reporting illegal shark kills, asking a restaurant to stop selling shark tacos, or submitting testimony for a bill that could help protect sharks, these new shark advocates have become a great voice for them! They've flooded stores with calls, filled local government e-mail inboxes, and even helped us get baby shark tiger shark teeth pulled off the shelves.

You can help us by keeping up with our social media updates or signing up for our e-mail list where we frequently provide easily accessible ways to help sharks from anywhere in the world!