Today's random fact is more about awareness than randomness. Ever since the movie 'Jaws' aired, and the more recent 'Shallows' movie, there has been a misconception that sharks kill hundreds of people per year. That is simply not the case. In recent years the South Eastern Coast of the United States has seen a rise in shark attacks, although not many were fatal, it is still enough to bring about the fear that sharks are just waiting in the shallows for their potential prey.
Sharks have a PR problem that might be hurting their chances of survival. A study from two years ago found that a majority of the media coverage sharks get involves attacks on humans, and doesn't reflect how rare these encounters actually are. In 2012, there were 80 confirmed shark attacks worldwide, but only seven of them were fatal, according to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File.
Sharks have very slow reproductive cycles, having babies once every two years makes it very difficult for large populations to recover from being killed off by the thousands, even millions. Even baby sharks are being killed just for their fins before even having a chance to mate.
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| Rooftops in Hong Kong covered with drying Shark Fins |
Shark-finning is the inhumane, and torturous practice of illegally catching sharks, cutting their fins off while still alive, throwing them back in the water to die, or using them as bait for more sharks. In parts of Asia, Shark-Fin Soup has been associated with affluence, and has been a prized dish in asian culture for generations. Awareness of this practice has been made, and many efforts to take this high priced dish out of restaurants is going strong today.
Out of the 10 annual deaths from sharks attacks worldwide, humans kill 100-200 million sharks every year. Some of which are endangered species, and will be extinct if we don't stop this cruel practice.
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