Misunderstood: Sharks attack 11 in 100 years

Near dawn on a pinkish June morning in the tall grass marsh on the bay side of Galveston’s West End, a school of 60 or more silvery bait fish dart through the surface waters, weaving and leaping erratically in the 2-to-3 foot shallows.

Suddenly the school of fish parts in the middle and a triangular fin emerges. The water is clear enough to see the shiny gray form of a young shark, about 3 feet long, with distinctive black markings on its fins. It glides through the water, swaying in a graceful S-curve, intent on catching breakfast. Moments later, mission accomplished, the shark disappears as quickly as it burst into view.

This rare glimpse of the wild world where a young shark is fending for himself, may in short order, become far more rare.

Under Pressure

After surviving in the Earth’s oceans for millions of years, some sharks are being brought to the brink of extinction by a movie, a soup, a sullied habitat and the myth that mankind and “jaws” are enemies in a struggle for supremacy.   

Worldwide there are more than 400 species of sharks, from the petite cat shark at 9 inches to the enormous whale shark that can grow to the size of a large school bus. Of these, 64 species of open ocean sharks and rays, are considered threatened, endangered or critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Few Protected

Only the white whale and basking sharks are protected internationally under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, and while the United States is considering federal protection of some shark species, none carry the official endangered designation.

Edging toward apocalypse with diminishing populations are the whale shark, which consumes huge amounts of plankton for its daily diet, the mysterious hammerhead and the striped tiger shark, all present in the Gulf’s waters, at least for now.

Bad Role

Sharks are cast as the boogeyman of the deep and the entire species is shrouded in myth and misinformation, said Enric Cortés, a research fishery biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He’d like to set the record straight.  

 “A shark is not a killing machine, and they do not hold grudges,” he said.

Light Eaters

“Most sharks eat infrequently and usually an amount that represents a very small proportion of their body weight daily. It’s tough making a living out in the open sea so, when presented with an opportunity to eat, they do. Sharks are opportunistic, but they are not eating all the time.”

The curious Clondrichtyes, the scientific name meaning “made of cartilage,” are an ancient species that actually have no bones. Their skeletons are composed of cartilage like the flexible material in our ears and nose.

“Sharks are prehistoric,” Cortés said. “It’s a marvel that they have been able to adapt and survive, when so many other species — like the dinosaurs — did not.”     

Things In Common

But it’s not just their history that makes sharks unique.

Instead of swimming, sharks “fly” through the water more like an airplane than a fish, and often at very great speeds, Cortés said.  

We actually have more in common with sharks than seems humanly possible. Like us, some species of shark can live up to 100 years; they vary in size and color, and they have adapted and survived despite changes in habitat.

Some sharks bear their young live, like we do, feeding them en utero through an umbilical cord, Cortés said. Because they take years to mature and typically bear few young, it’s more difficult to sustain their population.

Because they lack the organ of buoyancy that fish have, they never truly sleep. Literally, they must swim or sink, although sea caves and reefs with enough water rushing across their gills, can allow a respite for a weary shark.   

The Neighbors

About 40 species of sharks, some warranting protection, live at least part of the year here, in the rich coastal wetlands or the Gulf of Mexico. Still abundant in our coastal waters are the Atlantic sharp nose shark, the blacktip, the spinner and bull sharks, among others.   

The distribution and seasonal abundance of young and adult sharks in the shallow coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico is not well documented but it is known that the estuary serves as a nursery for numerous species of fish, including the baby blacktip shark.

‘Many Thousands’

“There are many thousands of sharks living in Galveston Bay depending on the season, the salinity of the water and the productivity of the wetlands,” said Andre Landry, a marine biology professor at Texas A&M University at Galveston.

“Galveston Bay is the most productive estuary in the whole Gulf of Mexico region and it serves a great assemblage of fishes, including a great variety of sharks.”

The distinct bonnet head shark, which belongs to the hammerhead family and has a head that looks like a shovel, and the scalloped hammerhead, whose populations are declining and which is being considered for federal protection, are Gulf residents.

Close Encounters

The hammerheads attract a following of divers who come to observe them mating near the Flower Garden Banks, Landry said. 

 “A few weeks ago I was wade fishing chest-deep in the Gulf with a 6-foot stringer for my catch,” he said. “When I was ready to go in, I pulled in the line to find fish heads and nothing else. I didn’t see anything; I didn’t feel anything; but I was definitely not alone.”

For the fisheries biologist, this illustrates that humans are more likely to experience an encounter with a shark rather than a shark attack.   

“Think about the thousands of people in the Gulf every day: fisherman, swimmers, boaters, surfers … and yet, there have only been a few dozen shark bites in a century,” he said. “People are more likely to be struck by lighting than they are to be the victim of a shark. A larger danger is, of course, driving to the beach.”

The Statistics 

According to the International Shark Attack file, during the past 100 years, there have been 11 shark bites recorded in the Galveston Bay area, and an additional 20 shark bites in other Texas counties. There have been only two fatalities, one in 1911 and one in Cameron County in 1962.

Landry, who grew up hunting and fishing on Grand Isle, La., notes that while people are relatively safe from sharks, the same cannot be said for sharks, which are being fished and finned in great numbers.

Being Depleted

“Shark populations are being depleted worldwide,” Landry said. “There are few fishing zones or limits and there’s the strange perception that sharks are our enemies.

“When I ride the beaches looking for sea turtle nesting activity, I often see young sharks that have been caught, cast aside and left to die by fishermen.

“Some have an underlying attitude that sharks are bad, and this makes it much more difficult to protect a species that is under significant threat.”

Biggest Threat

The biggest danger to the shark’s continued existence is overfishing. There is direct fishing that targets sharks worldwide, especially for their fins. A soup made from shark fins is considered a great delicacy in Asia and other parts of the world although “finning” now is prohibited in the United States.

Finning is the overtly cruel practice of slicing fins from still-living sharks that are then thrown back into the sea. The sharks die of suffocation or they are eaten because they cannot move in a normal way.

Tighter Law

In January, President Barack Obama signed the Shark Conservation Act to tighten loopholes in the 2000 Shark Finning Prohibition Act. This new law forbids fishing boats from carrying shark fins without the corresponding number and weight of carcasses. All sharks must be brought to port with their fins attached. Today, shark fins cannot be imported into the United States without the associated carcass. Last year, Hawaii became the first state to ban the possession, sale and distribution of shark fins; the law took effect on July 1, 2011.

Also, there is indirect fishing or “bycatch” that refers to the fish caught in commercial fishing ventures. Even if sharks are not the targeted fish, they die anyway, Landry said.

Disappearing Habitat

Degradation of the habitat plays a role in their declining populations as it does for other marine life, Landry said.

“It’s important that people have a better understanding of sharks as a critical piece of our aquatic ecosystem,” he said.

“These are majestic, amazing animals and we need to respect and protect their right to survive. To do that, we need to stop the indiscriminate harvest of these animals.”

What happens if sharks become extinct?

“The truth is we don’t know what will happen,” Landry says. “It’s an extremely complex balance. When we remove one part of the ecosystem, it’s hard to predict exactly what will happen next. “

Removing top predators usually has a negative consequence on the system as a whole, he said.

Sharks Up Close

On a Friday afternoon at the Moody Garden Aquarium about a half dozen children congregate with parents and grandparents near the tanks where sharks are swimming. Even the smallest child, gazes in unabashed wonder, and several squeal each time a shark comes into view.

A small boy solemnly repeats the names of the sharks swimming by to his father: “that’s a blacktip shark ... that’s a brown shark on the bottom.”

Another View

Another child bangs on the shark cage display and shrieks in earsplitting tones: “It’s the scary shark; he’s going to eat you ...,” presumably directed at his sister. One child sitting quietly on the rug-covered riser watches the colorful variety of fish for some time. Finally, she points at a young shark that continues to swim nearby in a circular route, almost pacing. 

“That’s a shark,” she said with the same quiet adoration she might show a kitten. “I want to keep it.”