Congress’ much needed gift to beleaguered sharks

The new law sponsored by Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) eliminates key enforcement loopholes, strengthens enforcement, enables the Secretary of Commerce to identify and list nations that have fishing vessels that have not adopted a regulatory program for the conservation of sharks similar to America’s, and promotes the conservation of sharks internationally and provides a more equal playing field for U.S. fishermen, among other things.

Congress has wisely recognized a turning tide in public opinion toward sharks. This week, thousands of letters urging greater protection for sharks collected from visitors to the National Aquarium, Washington were personally delivered in sacks to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA) Assistant Administrator Eric Schwaab. 

Clearly, a lot of Americans are passionate about the issue. Still others, though, may wonder why we should care about sharks, but the reality is that sharks are slow to mature, have very few young and often do not breed every year. They cannot withstand current levels of fishing pressure and they are a critical component to keeping our oceans healthy by controlling the other animals in the food chain.  

{mosads}Moreover, there are serious issues of nature’s balance at play. For instance, if we remove sharks from the eco-equation, the stingrays get out of control, which then eat all of the clams and scallops. All of these animals are interconnected and sharks are important to keeping the whole system healthy.

Despite the popular myths that still live today we actually have very little to fear from sharks. In fact it is far more dangerous to drive at the beach than it is to swim at a beach known to have sharks in the immediate area. The reality is that there are less than 100 attacks per year worldwide. Last year there were only 61 unprovoked shark attacks around the globe. Of this small number of attacks only a handful of them are fatal, on average 5 per year.

Most of the infrequent attacks that do happen are cases of mistaken identity where a shark mistakes a human for its normal prey, whether it be a surfer that looks like a seal from below or a splashing noise in the murky near shore waters that confuses the shark into thinking that there are bait fish in the area. The National Aquarium, Washington’s newest exhibit, Sherman’s Lagoon, offers a wealth of interesting facts about sharks in a very fun and interactive setting.

As a lifelong diver who has a personal passion for sharks, it’s gratifying to see our lawmakers take an important initial step in protecting sharks. There’s more work ahead to help preserve their importance place in the world’s oceans.

Andy Dehart is Director of Biological Programs for the National Aquarium, Washington. He also serves as a shark advisor for the Discovery Channel.