2023-06-29 10:02:19
Science This is how sharks lurk in the waters of crowded beaches Events They evacuate a beach in Tarragona due to the presence of two sharks
“It is more likely to die from a bee sting or a falling coconut than from a shark bite,” says marine biologist Charlie Sarria (Mlaga, 1996), who assures that Hollywood “has demonized” sharks, although human meat, he stresses, is not part of their diet.
Through his work and his activity on social networks, this young man from Malaga tries to break the bad reputation that surrounds these large predatorsAlthough events such as those that occurred a few days ago in Egypt, where a tiger shark devoured a young Russian who was bathing in the Red Sea, do not play in their favor.
The mecca of cinema, Sarria underlines, has also “done a lot of damage” to the species, especially films like Jaws, by Steven Spielberg, which made the world look in terror at sharksdespite the fact that the film, he says, is full of myths that have little to do with reality.
From fear to admiration
This biologist was able to transform the fear of the shark that Hollywood instilled in him out of “passion and admiration” as he studied it and now serves as guardian of these animals on his Instagram account, in which he shows the bowels of the seas to his followers.
Together with two “shark geeks” this researcher from Malaga founded Condrik Tenerife, a research group that has the support of the Government of the Canary Islands and whose objective is to carry out a database of the presence of these animals in the archipelago.
Now, in addition, he is working on the development of the second edition of the ‘Vlu Ocean Adventure’, a project with which he seeks to raise awareness in society about these marine animals with the participation of actors, musicians and influential people on social networks.
swim with sharks
Sarria, who has dived with sharks and other species in areas such as the Maldives and the Canaries, claims to feel “peace” when he dives with these animals and says that never had any “scare” with them. Only “the occasional headbutt”, he tells anecdotally.
Explain that all sharks have a series of behavior patterns and that “if you know how to interpret them” you can anticipate situations “which, otherwise, could become dangerous.”
The researcher highlights the importance of sharks in marine ecosystemssince they are at the top of the food chain and are in charge of regulating the rest of the species so that there is no overpopulation.
An isolated case
Recently, the world witnessed the fierceness of a tiger shark, “one of the most potentially aggressive species”which swallowed a young Russian tourist on the shores of the Red Sea before the astonished gaze of other bathers, some of whom recorded the attack with their mobile phones.
The biologist from Malaga points out that cases like this are very specific and that dying from a shark bite is unlikely. It is an “isolated case”, says the expert, which should not serve to further demonize these animals.
The specimen that devoured the Russian citizen was captured and beaten to death and his body was exposed as a trophy. “We cannot humanize the shark, judge it and treat it as if it were a murderer. She was a pregnant female. We must not take revenge on an animal that does not think like us,” says Sarria.
“Vertical position and no flapping”
On social networks it is common to see videos of people diving among sharks that are harmless to humans, which is a common practice among people seeking strong emotions and new experiences.
However, Sarria stresses that not with all sharks you can have “an easy bath”since there are certain species, somewhat more territorial, with which you can have a “committed experience”.
In the presence of a shark, explains the young man, the best way to act is to keep calm“although it sounds easier said than done”, adopt an upright position and do not splash to “distinguish yourself as much as possible from possible prey, while you try to get away to any safe place.”
A good business
Sarria recalls that the cinema has represented sharks as authentic predators, although the real threat is felt by indiscriminate fishing and the juicy business around its meat and its fin, which in some species is half of its total price.
Spain is an exporter of shark meat and fins. The latter is consumed in Asia, as a delicacy, cut and boiled in a soup whose price exceeds 200 dollars.
The blue shark -or blue shark-which is the species that Spain exports the most, is critically endangered in the Mediterranean and vulnerable at the international level, and although there are measures for their protection, such as those of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), “they do not have sufficient legislative weight” to change the laws of the countries.
To all this is added accidental fishing, the species that are caught without being the objective and that are then returned to the sea alive, dead or dying. This is another problem suffered by the blue shark, which can lead to 90% of the trawl when trying to catch swordfish.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more
#die #bee #sting #shark #attack