How to get over your fear of sharks

Sharks are absolutely incredible. They play a vital role in keeping our oceans healthy by balancing food systems and regulating prey populations. Without sharks, we wouldn’t have functioning oceans. And without oceans, we wouldn’t have life on land for us.

The sad thing is, so many shark species are on the brink of extinction due to human interference. Generally, there’s a lack of compassion for sharks compared to other animals because they are “scary”, but really they are an extremely misunderstood species. We have been taught to inherently fear sharks (thanks a lot Jaws..) but really it’s human beings that are a danger to sharks, and not the other way around - we kill 70 million sharks per year!! Sharks on the other hand, kill about 72 people annually and most of these are provoked attacks (we are swimming in their home after all!).

So let’s talk about how to get over your fear of sharks and why we need to fight to protect this amazing species.

Here’s a list of things that are more dangerous than sharks:

1 – Driving – More than 1.2 million people to die every year in the world in traffic accidents.

2 – Mosquitos – Mosquitoes infected with the malaria virus are responsible for almost 800,000 deaths a year, according to the WHO.

3 – Eating – The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that some 420,000 people die annually from contaminated food.

4 – Obesity – Excess weight kills almost 300,000 people each year.

5 – Snakes – An estimated 50,000 to 100,000 deaths are caused by snake bites and other deadly attacks each year.

6 – Dogs cause 25,000 deaths annually. 

7 – Lightning – According to different studies, 10,000 people die each year from lightning strikes.

8 – Candles – It is estimated that candles cause 10,000 fires in the United States alone.

9 – Flies – Tse-Tse flies cause approximately 10,000 victims annually. This insect transmits a sleep disorder that can become deadly after months or even years.

10 – Stumbling – Nearly 6,000 people die every year from tripping and falling.  It’s according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

11 – iPhones Using your phone while driving is one of the main causes of death globally. Every year thousands of people lose their lives by using their phones while driving. 

12 – Raw meat – It is estimated that in the United States alone, 5,000 people a year die from eating contaminated raw meat.

13 – Scorpions – Its poisoned sting takes about 5,000 people a year.

14 – Poison – Nearly 4,000 people die each year from accidental poisoning.

15 – Hippos – These animals kill about 3,000 people in Africa each year.

16 – Being left-handed – It is estimated that some 2,500 left-handed people die each year. It’s from using objects designed for right-handers.

18 – Choking – In Spain alone, about 1,400 people die each year from choking.

19 – Crocodiles accumulate more than 1,000 fatalities a year.

20 – Swimming – In Spain alone, 539 deaths from drowning in 2017.

21 – Falling out of bed – Each year in the United States, 450 people die because of this.

22 – Coconuts – They cause 150 deaths each year when they fall from the tree.

23 – Deer: Approximately 130 people die each year due to deer unexpectedly appearing in the middle of the road.

24 – Tigers – There are around 120 people who die every year due to the attacks of tigers. Most of them after provoking them previously.

25 – Ballpoint pens – They are responsible for 100 deaths per year. The main reason is suffocation when the lid is stuck in the throat.

26 – Elephants – Around 100 people die each year in clashes with elephants, mostly being trodden by animals.

27 – Lions register 100 fatal victims per year.

Why are sharks important?

Sharks are apex predators, meaning they sit on the top of the food web. They play a crucial role in helping to maintain a delicately balanced ecosystem that keeps our oceans healthy. Their feeding helps to regulate prey population numbers, but also prey distribution as they select a habitat to avoid being eaten. For example, a study in Australia found that as shark numbers declined, mid-level predators like snappers increased while herbivorous fish populations shrank. With fewer algae-eating fish around, the algae overwhelmed the reef system and limited its ability to bounce back from bleaching and other disturbances.

Apart from keeping the food web in check and making sure we have populations of fish, sharks also boost local tourism, keep the carbon cycle in check by holding carbon and could hold the cure to many diseases.

More Information

Check out my post on the StopFinningEU campaign for more information/links on action being taken to save sharks!!