July 31, 2007
News Bite: Shark Week on Discovery Channel
BY: Andy Sharpless
Did you know you’re more likely to die from a falling coconut than a shark bite? It’s true.
Sharks kill an average of five people, annually, which is unfortunate to say the least. But when you think about the tens of millions of sharks that are killed each year for their fins, meat, liver oil, and hides, it’s easy to see people are a bigger threat to sharks than sharks are to people.
All this week the Discovery Channel will broadcast special programming about these misunderstood masters of the underwater universe. Some of the footage is extraordinarily compelling. Viewers should remember that sharks need more protection from humans than the reverse.
At Oceana, we’re working so hard to help boost shark populations and prevent over-fishing.