Don’t let the title throw you. While there has been a recent study published in the Journal of Zoology about applying geographic profiling to great white shark hunting behavior, the point of this post is to illustrate how the media sensationalizes headlines whenever sharks (and great white sharks, in particular) are involved in a news story.

I am not a serial killer

Providence, Rhode Island’s ABC-6 News reported on June 23 that a 10-foot Great White Shark was captured in a fishing net and hauled aboard a fishing boat June 3rd off the coast of Narragansett, RI. One of the fishermen on-board the boat spoke with an ABC-6 reporter, choosing to remain anonymous, and informed him that the shark was released back into the water, in accordance with federal law. However, the crew also said that the shark seemed “fatigued” after being hauled in. ABC-6 also reports that there were reports that a great white was found washed ashore within a few days after the shark was captured and released.
Continue reading →

Justin Clarke, a blogger for the Examiner.com, shares his opinion about conservation plans aimed at protecting sharks. I’m not sure if he’s being serious or if this an attempt at humor, but either way it echoes of the Everything-I-Know-About-Sharks-Is-What-I-Learned-From-Jaws mentality. To the author’s defense, he does mention learning about sharks on The Discovery Channel, as well, so maybe he didn’t learn everything from Jaws. Mr. Clarke’s statements include:

“…I think the desirable number of great white sharks is zero.”

and

“Sharks are the ocean’s Nazis, indiscriminate murderers with black eyes and no souls.”
Continue reading →