Movies featuring sharks, including 'Jaws', have fostered negative perceptions of sharks, leading to indiscriminate overfishing and contributing to the endangerment of various shark species, including the great white shark.
The trade of shark body parts, such as shark fin, and habitat destruction driven by human greed have resulted in a decrease in shark populations, negatively impacting the marine ecosystem.
To address the shark extinction crisis, efforts such as banning or restricting international shark trade are necessary. We must prevent sharks from being victims of human greed.
IUCN
There are movies that inevitably get released every summer. They are thrillers about people on vacation at the sea encountering sharks. Famous shark movies like “Jaws,” along with “47 Meters Down,” and “The Meg,” are examples of survival movies featuring sharks that are often released these days.
However, movies and reality are different. While movies depict sharks attacking humans, did you know that in reality, it's humans who are attacking sharks?
By Terry Goss, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1561215
The great white shark is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This means there's a high probability of it becoming extinct in the coming years. The global population of great white sharks is said to be decreasing. How did the great white shark, known as the apex predator of the marine ecosystem, become an endangered species?
In fact, the image of the 'apex predator' that movies have given to the great white shark has greatly contributed to its endangered status. Negative perceptions of the great white shark itself led people to target it for sport fishing and trade, resulting in overfishing. Trading of great white shark fins, skin, jaws, and teeth is also common. Steven Spielberg, the director of “Jaws,” expressed regret in an interview with a media outlet about the movie's contribution to the decline in shark populations. He said that because the movie depicted sharks as killing humans, people didn't feel guilty about hunting them indiscriminately. In reality, the probability of humans dying from a great white shark attack is extremely low.
By harmon from austin, tx, usa - shark fin soupUploaded by Caspian blue, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6516538
Furthermore, the practice of only cutting off shark fins for shark fin soup has also become a problem. It's a prime example of animals being sacrificed due to human greed. To prevent such tragedies, some areas, including New York City and China, have banned shark fin soup.
In 2022, a Chinese influencer caused controversy by posting a video of themselves cooking and eating a great white shark. The influencer was eventually fined approximately 22.7 million won.
IUCN
Changes have also occurred in the habitats of sharks. Due to global warming, the temperature of the ocean has risen, and great white sharks have been appearing in unusual seas. Great white sharks live in warm water, and the rising sea temperature has caused them to appear in seas where they were not originally found. It's been reported that great white sharks have been frequently spotted at Korean beaches in recent years.
Not only the great white shark but also other shark species are facing extinction. Approximately 350 species of sharks, including the shortfin mako shark, the oceanic whitetip shark, and the blue shark, are endangered species.
To prevent the decline in shark populations, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) banned and restricted international trade of 54 shark species in 2023. As a result, member countries are required to obtain permits for trading sharks. We hope that no more sharks will be sacrificed due to human greed.