Shark Trouble?

  Peter Benchley created one of the best monsters ever when he penned the novel Jaws and Steven Spielberg adapted that story and brought the monster alive with a blockbuster film that spun off 3 sequels of varying success. The shark might have been rubber and the effects may now look extremely dated, but the sheer terror that the film evoked of the predatory beast feeding on the locals and holiday makers of Amity Island stayed with the audience long after they had left the screen. 

But the story was fiction and Benchley spent the rest of his days trying to educate people on that point. Unfortunately his story was taken as fact and the shark has been misunderstood, feared and hunted ever since. His book 'Shark Trouble' is a fascinating read about Benchley's experiences with sharks. It's a real education into their important role in our waters. The book is full of facts and stories of his encounters with sharks over the years, including the making of Jaws. Possibly the most powerful part of the book is the short story he includes to illustrate why sharks are essential to the balance of marine life and all those who live and prosper from coastal life. It's called 'The Day All The Sharks Died' and it's no more than 10 pages long, but is a really simple explanation of the important role that sharks play.

And if like me you start to really admire these animals and want to get even closer then you can get in a cage alongside them at the London Aquarium. At present the aquarium has 15 sharks ranging from the bottom dwelling Guitar Shark (which is a bit of a cross between a shark and a ray) to Black Tipped Sharks, Nurse Sharks and the ferocious looking Sand Tiger Sharks. These unfortunate beasts aren't able to close their mouths due to their large amount of teeth so they definitely look the most frightening. The sharks are well fed so they aren't interested in feasting upon you. But they are curious and will come right up alongside the cage and hold eye contact.

These animals are seriously endangered. They sit at the top of the food chain so have no natural predator, which means that we have become their only threat. And that threat takes a variety of forms; we hunt and kill them either for sport or for their fins, creating keepsakes from their teeth that get made into jewellery; we trap them in nets that are supposed to keep sharks away from the beaches, so they struggle and die. 

Maybe they aren't as attractive as the Giant Panda or Bengal Tiger, who are also both endangered species, but they do equally deserve our protection. It is imperative that we keep the natural, healthy balance that our oceans thrive on. Nothing exists on its own, everything around us works together to keep a healthy planet.

The London Aquarium are donating £5 out of every ticket they sell to The Shark Trust, which is a great charity I have been supporting for the last few years. It aims to advance the worldwide conservation of sharks through science, education, influence and action (www.sharktrust.org).

So please consider taking the plunge yourself, or gifting the snorkelling experience to others and get to know these creatures better. They are incredible creatures and need all the help they can get to survive.