FISH TALES | By Capt. Doug Jeffrey
Misunderstanding, fear of sharks leads to senseless killing
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Posted - Friday, November 06, 2009 11:00 AM EST
SHARK! There are very few words that cause as much fear as hearing this one. It is not a cultural thing either, no matter which coastal city you visit if you talk to local people they will have a fear of sharks. Many times this fear is not logical, or is it deserved by the sharks?
As I have traveled around the world fishing and diving, many times I have heard local legends of man-eating sharks patrolling just offshore, waiting to eat some unluckily swimmer.
I have heard shark stories from the coast of Africa to the shores of the United States. Many of them are no more than that — just great stories that get better and better with each retelling. Now I must admit I love to hear a great shark story myself, however having grown up around the ocean I am smart enough to separate the stories from the real thing.
My thought is really this: Should these stories even be repeated? From the sharks’ standpoint, I think that it is better to let the stories quietly die. I feel only sadness and regret when I see something as needless as a butchered nurse shark. Having been in the Keys now for over 10 years it is a sight I have seen too many times. Each time I feel great sadness; this only happened because someone reacted out of fear and due to lack of knowledge.
More than once I have seen the carcass of a small shark washed up on the beach badly mutilated. Several times the carcass was that of a 3- to 5-foot nurse shark. The sad part in this action is the person that inflicted the damage felt they were doing some great good by eliminating one more dreaded man-eating shark.
Now most of us that live here in the Keys know the truth and do what we can to help preserve and protect our local sealife from this unwarranted behavior. My question is this: When you hear someone telling one of these wild tales do you sit back and enjoy the story or do you try to turn the opportunity into a learning experience?
I think that everyone that spends time on or in or under the water needs to help educate the uninformed. Think of all the visitors that visit and avoid the water because of some fear of the dark creatures that inhabit our local waters. It is not just sharks that cause this unwarranted fear — large morays get their fair share of it too.
Don’t all of us who spend time on the water owe it to the creatures that keep us inspired to help protect them from undeserved molestation? We can best do this by helping to properly educate those who have an irrational fear. I feel we do. So do your part when you get the chance to properly educate someone take the time. You will be surprised at how easy it is to change the way people look at these wonderful inhabitants of our local waters.
Until next time, may you enjoy fair winds and following seas and I hope to see you on the water.
