You're In Their World Now

While it may be true that I have a somewhat odd obsession and fascination with a species that many people in their right minds have developed an absolute fear for, I believe wholeheartedly that all people need to find in them a respect for sharks and their habitat. Not just because I want everyone to love the sharks and their grace in the way that I do, but because it is absolutely vital. It is vital for our future and for the future of our oceans to preserve these creatures and understand them better. In the same way, it is paramount to understand that when humans swim in the oceans they are simply guests in the sharks domain. Sharks get a bad name for a few cases of mistaken identity, and nothing makes me more aggravated then when they are coined as ruthless killers.

Sure, sharks kill about 5 people annually. But before you let that get to your head, lets take a look at things that are more likely to kill you than sharks.

1. Obesity: 30,000 people annually
2. Lightening: 10,000 people annually
3. Texting and driving: 6,000 people annually
4. Hippos: kill 2,900 people annually. Are you still afraid of sharks?
5. Volcanos: 845 people annually
6. Shopping on black friday: 550 people annually. And yet, you still go.
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The list goes on an on, and all of those numbers are exponentially greater than the mere 5 people that are in a tragic case of misunderstanding yearly with sharks. Your run-in chances with the apex-predator are so slim as it is, and yet, we as humans are making those chances even slimmer. If you think that is good news, then you have the wrong mindset altogether.

Our oceans are such an integral part of our existence, and deserve to be cared for and protected the same way we should protect the land that we live on as well. It is such a fragile and complex ecosystem that drives the existence of our world oceans, and sharks play a role that regular fish and creatures do not. Sharks are an apex predator at the peak of the marine food chain, and provide direct and indirect regulation of the ecosystem in a manor that is absolutely crucial for the sustainability and balance of such. The typical hunting tactics of different species of sharks relies on the predation of weaker or older prey, which then allows for the fittest and most capable species of fish and smaller prey to survive and reproduce. This cycle keeps the entire system healthy and in the best shape for survival and reproduction. Humans have seeped into the balance and have thrown it off, and will continue to throw it off, if nothing is done to change that. Humans have been systematically depleting the species through overfishing and destruction of habitat by pollution. This is not maintainable, as sharks rule and control the oceans in a way that is more vital than most of us can appreciate.

So, to conclude my rant about sharks, I leave you with a final thought: the ocean is their world. Your fears are relevant, and coming face to face with one of these predators is not a desirable encounter, but your respect for them is important. Their existence and future relies on your respect and motivation to preserve them, and that necessity needs to come from a place of compassion rather than fear.