Why Are We Scared of Sharks?
by Mia McCormick
How much do you know about sharks? And where did you learn it? Chances are you’ve seen a shark-related movie and at least some of your feelings about these large ocean predators stem from what you saw. There’s even a term for it; the “Jaws effect”.
So what? It’s just a movie, right?
Research indicates “Jaws” and movies like it, have played a significant role in leading people to believe things about sharks that inspire fear. Most of those fears are based on very little actual research. Think you’re above the “Jaws effect”? Ask yourself these three questions:
Do you believe that sharks intentionally bite humans?
Do you think most human-shark encounters end in death?
Are you ok with killing sharks to prevent future attacks?
If you answered yes to any of the above, ask yourself why? One study of 109 shark-related films found that 96% of them portray sharks as threatening to humans. The reality is that fatal shark encounters are rare. How rare? Like a steak cooked on a cold grill. There’s a 1 in 4.3 million chance that you’ll die from a shark attack. Here’s a quick list of things statistically more likely to kill you than a shark according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File.
Fireworks
Lightning
Tornado
Dog attack
Train crash
How can the fear of a shark attack keep people out of the ocean, when you are much more likely to die from Fido down the street? Researchers agree that the media plays a role in why people perceive sharks as a threat. The consequences of that perception have a far reaching impact. One result is how callous humans are to shark deaths. 100 million sharks are killed every year and over 30% of all shark and ray species are considered threatened. But it’s difficult for humans to think of them as vulnerable. Sharks play a vital role in the ocean ecosystem. They keep food webs in balance. For example, one study in North Carolina showed that the loss of sharks increased the ray populations below them. As a result, the hungry rays ate all the bay scallops, forcing the fishery to close. The economic fallout was a direct result of decreased shark populations.
So now that you know where the fear of sharks may come from, how do you conquer it? Our Director of Education at Tampa Bay Watch says knowledge. Katie Masterbrook believes that the more you know about shark behavior, the better chances are that you’ll be able to observe them peacefully if you do ever encounter one in the water. She saw proof of this when her summer campers encountered a bonnethead shark in Tampa Bay. She has hope that the younger generation will help leave shark fear in the rearview.
“I’ve been teaching at Tampa Bay Watch for 9 years, and over that period I’ve seen a shift in students away from fear. Now kids come in and already have real shark facts, they’ve seen positive interactions on social networks and they are more open to studying shark behavior.”
Katie recently spent 7 days at the Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation Shark Lab. Read more about how her research there can help the Tampa Bay community here.
