Sharks: Imperiled, Maligned, Fascinating

By John R. Platt

Here at The Revelator, we love a good shark story.

The problem is, there aren’t all that many good shark stories. According to recent research, sharks and their relatives represent one of the world’s most imperiled groups of species. Of the more than 1,250 known species of sharks, skates, rays and chimeras — collectively known as chondrichthyan fishes — at least a quarter are threatened with extinction.

That’s just what we know so far. About half of all shark species have a conservation status of “data deficient,” meaning we have no idea how well they’re doing or whether they’re at risk.

But that’s why it’s so important to tell stories about sharks. They’re our lens into issues like conservation, ocean protection, overfishing, coastal development, wildlife trafficking and so much more. And as frequently maligned species — Jaws, anyone? — sharks also help us to understand our relationship with predators that may seem scary but don’t really pose much of a threat.

Sharks also give us an opportunity to talk about people — the people living near them, the people harming them, the people who rely on them, and most importantly the experts working to understand and conserve them.

And honestly, sharks are just fascinating. They come in all manner of shapes and sizes; often boast amazing behaviors; serve important roles in their ecosystems; and have wide and varied reproductive strategies — some of which make them more vulnerable to exploitation. Oh, and most of them look pretty cool (although there are a few oddities in the bunch — we’re talking about you, goblin sharks).