From “Jaws” to “Shark Week” sharks have captured people’s attention (and swam into their nightmares) for ages. Australian officials now think we should give these ancient apex predators a break.
According to the Washington Post, some Australian officials have opted to stop using the word “attack” as the go-to description of all interactions between sharks and people. Instead, they’re now, they are referring to these interactions as “incidents,” “bites” or, in some cases, “a negative encounter.”
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“For years, they’ve [researchers] argued that using ‘attack’ to describe every case is inaccurate and can lead to emotional, knee-jerk reactions not rooted in science,” the Washington Post explained.
However, some people have a different view.
“You can’t sanitize it too much,” said Dave Pearson, spokesman for shark bite survivor group Bite Club, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
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How dangerous are sharks?
Around 40 percent of human-shark interactions don’t involve any injuries, said the Washington Post. Chis Pepin-Neff of the University of Sydney told the outlet that bites are usually just a sign of sharks trying to explore the world.
Data from the Florida Museum of Natural History indicates there were 129 alleged human-shark interactions last year. Of these, 39 were provoked by humans and 57 were unprovoked. Provoked interactions include instances where humans harass or attempt to feed sharks as well as interactions with people who are fishing.
Overall, 13 deaths were reported due to shark interactions and 10 of these were unprovoked incidents. Annually, the typical average of unprovoked fatalities is four. Most unprovoked bites in 2020, 33, occurred in the U.S. and 16 of those occurred off the coast of Florida. Additionally, most bites were related to surfing.
“The total number of unprovoked shark bites worldwide is extremely low, given the number of people participating in aquatic recreation each year,” said the museum.
“They’re not the bloodthirsty monsters trying to gorge themselves on human flesh,” said Pepin-Neff of sharks, adding that the politics of shark bites is manipulative. Other researchers explained that sharks are more curious than they are vicious.
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What is the benefit of changing shark-related language?
Even though sharks have been drifting through the Earth’s waters for around 400 million years, present circumstances threaten their existence.
According to a BBC report from early this year, a recent study concluded the number of sharks found in the open oceans has plunged by 71% over half a century, mainly due to over-fishing. Of 31 species of sharks included in the study, 24 are now threatened with extinction, and three are classified as critically endangered.
"Oceanic sharks and rays are vital to the health of vast marine ecosystems,” Nathan Pacoureau of Simon Fraser University explained.
If less people fear sharks, they may be more inclined to help save them.
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