Expert Debunks Shark Myths During Marine Center Visit

February 26, 2008

Release from: KELLY CUCULIANSKY
Dayton Beach News Journal Online

NEW SMYRNA BEACH - Attacks are what usually make people think about sharks, but expert George Burgess wants to change that.

"The point of the matter is a lot of people have grown up with misunderstandings," said Burgess, curator of the University of Florida's Shark Attack File and director of the Florida Program for Shark Research.

From the vicious creature in the movie "Jaws" to the upheaval raised by the media's controversial 2001 "Summer of the Shark" label, Burgess said the influences and misconceptions are all around us.

To dispel pop culture and media myths, the biological scientist visited the Marine Discovery Center on Monday. Speaking before about two dozen Florida Master Naturalist students and volunteers, he talked about the biggest threat in the ocean.

Despite the killer attitude attached to sharks, people are the ones doing the true damage, he said. Each year, 100 million sharks and stingrays are killed. Each year for the past five years, an average of five humans died from shark attacks.

Meanwhile, dusky and sandbar shark populations have declined by 80 percent along the East Coast. The estimated recovery time for both species is going to be more than 60 years, Burgess said.

It's difficult for the fish to rebound when it takes most sharks 12 to 20 years to mature and about two years for females to become pregnant again in between births.

Over-fishing is the real story, Burgess said.

"It's pretty obvious who the attacker is," he said.

Human deaths by shark attack are highly unusual in Florida, Burgess said, but bites are growing each decade. "Shark attacks are very closely tied to the number of people going into the water."

One shark-bite-related fatality was documented last year. Burgess will be researching the latest attack that killed a man Sunday about 50 miles east of Fort Lauderdale, near the Bahamas.

Burgess said he is interested to know whether the 50-year-old man was feeding sharks. It is unknown what type of shark bit the diver.

Florida's high population density and tourism mean there will be more people in the ocean each year. In 2007, Volusia County had the highest number of bites in the world, although none were life-threatening.

David Crockett, a seasonal resident from Colorado, said he enjoys learning about the state's coastal ecology through the Florida Master Naturalist program.

Several guest speakers visit the classes, designed to promote understanding and respect of the state's environment.

Checking out a shark jaw with fellow students after the lecture, Crockett said he had a new perspective on the misunderstood animal's behavior.

"They're a declining population," he said. "We need to do something to try to protect them."