Shark Week 2013; Is Discovery Channel Giving the Right Message? Shark Awareness Links at the End

Hey everyone.

I wanted to rant a bit on 2013s Shark Week airing on the Discovery Channel...

I must say, it is already half way through and I am very disappointed.

Programs called "Voodoo Sharks: Sharktweeto", "Great White Serial Killer" and "Killer Sharks" are just a few of the titles that are being aired on DC.

I was hoping to see films and documentaries like "Sharkwater" or "Shadow Of The Dark". Shows that help to shed light on the destruction and over fishing of sharks and bring understanding to these misunderstood animals.

I love listening to shark survivors talk about their experience and how they've come to love and understand sharks but not all survivors feel that way. These programs constantly call sharks ferocious and deadly animals and constantly calling them the worlds deadliest predator. (Which is true. But the images they show along with saying that doesn't exactly make sharks out to be the best animals).

Also, the fact that DC is airing these programs over and over really makes me wonder... "What are the people behind Discovery Channel and Shark Week thinking?"

And don't even get me started with the Shark After Dark show. That show is just a LITTLE bit irritating.

Shark Porn? Really?

They did feature a few marine scientists. Even Paul de Gelder, a man who lost his right arm and leg to a shark and who is also a famous inspirational speaker; but they didn't really talk about what I thought they would talk about... Important things.

http://pauldegelder.com/

Things like shark conservation, the much needed protection for sharks, shark finning and the overfishing of the oceans, why sharks hunt the way they do, why they are so important to the worlds ecosystem and how they keep the ocean ecosystem in check.

At least talk about shark finning?

These are some of the issues I find important and was hoping these would be the subjects for discussion.

Instead they kept up a constant Twitter feed and took awkward questions from people who were keeping up with the live show, talked about the new movie "Sharknado", the new reality show called "Tickle".

Really DC?

I did not find these topics relevant to shark awareness at all and thus was very disappointed.

Maybe I'm just being picky. Maybe I'm being to critical with the airings on Shark Week.

However, I still can't help but feel that the Discovery Channel is airing these programs solely for the purpose of ratings rather than airing programs to help the general public's shark awareness.

Now it's time for the goodies!

To the readers who want to know more about shark conservation and related topics, take a look at the following links!

Project Aware; Sharks In Peril

Why Are Sharks Important?

Sharks: Predators With Purpose

Sharkwater on Shark Finning

Shark Finning; What You Can Do To Help Stop It

Humane Society International on Shark Finning

(PS: All the images I used were found through Google images)