The rate in which humans are killing sharks is so high that Andy Dehart, a shark specialist with the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C., and the network’s shark consultant, said that it is almost inhuman. He added that there are usually less than 100 shark attacks per year worldwide on humans, and few are fatal; but an estimated 250,000 sharks are killed every day through commercial fishing.
Shark attacks appear to be on the decline as Burgess reports say there were 59 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide in 2008, compared to 71 in 2007. Only four attacks were fatal in 2008, which is about average. Only one death was reported in 2007, a two-decade low.
According to Dehart certain sharks can be deadly, but chances of being attacked are rare considering the millions of people who go in the water. Millions of sharks are killed each year by “finning” – the shark’s fins are sliced off and sold to restaurants and markets in Asia, where they’re considered a delicacy. Despite all the chills and thrills in the “Shark Week” programs, a conservation message appears to be getting through.
