Shark Week and Loving the Unloved

So, Shark Week just finished and for a lot of people, it was not that important. However, Shark Week is not just about entertainment - it is about conservation, too.

Shark Week provides resources for schools so students (and teachers) can learn about biodiversity, marine life, ocean conservation and more. The television programming event itself is extremely educational and encourages viewers to raise awareness for the majestic creatures.

In fact in 2014 Sean Lesniak, who was nine years old at the time, was so moved by a special on the declining shark population that he wrote a letter to his local representative, David M. Nangle, asking him to help put an end to shark finning. Nangle agreed with Lesniak's stance and pushed a bill forward to ban the trade of shark fins in Massachusetts. On July 24, 2014, then-governor Deval Patrick signed the bill into law.

Scuba-divers, conservationists, organisations and many members of the public love Shark Week because it offers a new perspective on the fish. We've all seen films like Jaws, the Shallows or even Sharknado. No matter how entertaining they are, films are damaging our views on sharks.

These creatures are not the killers they are painted out to be. According to Oceana , of the nearly 500 species of sharks, only about a dozen are potentially dangerous to humans. Even for those species that are, humans aren't preferred prey. Also, the likelihood of being attacked and killed by a shark are 1 in 3.75 million — less than the chances of dying by lightning strike. You are far more likely to be killed by a deer than a shark. Yes, innocent Bambi is more blood thirsty than Jaws.

So, next time Shark Week is airing, just remember that we kill around 100 million of these animals a year. On average, there are only four fatalities attributable to unprovoked attacks by sharks worldwide each year. Who is the real killer?

As a business with a focus on the ocean, all marine life is extremely important to us. That is one of the reasons we choose to donate 99p, with every necklace sold, to Project AWARE.

Project AWARE have helped ban finning in the EU as well as enforcing protection for sharks and rays. They are one of many organisations that are saving our oceans. To find out more, visit our home page or go to www.projectaware.org . Save our oceans, save our sharks and love the unloved.