https://theprogressnetwork.substack.com/p/the-tide-turns-for-sharks
"A century ago, fish scientists would have been surprised to hear that millions
of people tune in every year for a week of adrenaline-packed entertainment
about sharks. The prevailing attitude at that time, even among experts, was
less “apex predator of the ocean” and more “harmless water-dweller”—at least
when it came to humans.
That all changed in the summer of 1916, when a series of shark attacks on the
Jersey Shore killed four people and unleashed a frenzy to hunt down the
“man-eaters.” Frightened tourists vanished from beaches and hundreds of sharks
were killed as American culture first sank its teeth into the narrative of
sharks as vicious slayers. The cultural trauma was so deep that the event would
eventually inspire the 1975 blockbuster
Jaws.
This perception of sharks lasted for decades. Even in the 1990s, when data
first began emerging that sharks were being overfished to perilous levels,
scientists were still concerned about “the
Jaws problem” stymieing budding
efforts to protect the animal. “The question is,” Juan Sabalones, then curator
of fishes at the National Aquarium, told
The Washington Post in 1997, “can we
turn people’s fascination with sharks into respect—instead of a just kill them
mentality?”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
