A Shark attack is a common theme for movies, books and television simply because it is a fear many people share. Shark attacks are something more people can relate to, since they are more plausible compared to alien invasions and evil wizards, even though shark attacks are rarely fatal. Recently, however, there has been a spike in the number of shark attacks recorded on the coasts around then Pacific Ocean. Australia and California are specific hot spots for these shark attacks. Beaches have been closed and surfers and swimmers have been warned of the threats these sharks pose. New studies show that attacks are increasing due to an increase in water activity of swimmers and surfers and an increase in the number of sharks in particular areas. Potential solutions to this problem have proven to be controversial.

One of the main problems is the congested population of sharks that have appeared along the coast of the Pacific. It is not that there is over crowding in the sea as a whole, the issue is there is over crowding in particular places near the coast. This has sparked ideas considering the relocation of sharks to different, less populated areas of the ocean. Some of the pros of this idea are it would most likely decrease the number of shark attacks occurring and give the shark population more room to grow as a whole (there would be less pressure on the species). However, there is always the possibility of disturbing the ecosystem the sharks inhabit. Their food supply could increase when the shark population decreases, this could impact the amount of algae, minerals and bacteria in the ocean around the populations. This argument amongst researchers has grown more controversial as the issue has become more pressing.

The shark attacks can also be attributed to the increase in beach activity. A shark’s diet consists of mainly moderately sized mammals, like seals. From underneath the water line, surfers and swimmers with moving legs look like tasty treats to the sharks, this is also partly due to the fact that sharks are color blind. For sharks it is hard to decipher what is a vacationer and what is a fleshy seal meal. For the most part sharks see a black, moving blob and pounce.

The removal of sharks from these waters becomes prevalent when one thinks about all the effects shark attacks have had on the world in the past decade. Beaches were closed, businesses were disrupted, people were wounded (sometimes fatally). But do these concerns equate to the abduction of a species from their home? Much like humans, sharks carry offspring, obtain reliable food sources and adopt a type of “routine” to their lives. It is difficult to make such a decisions, but essentially the core problem is how much more are human lives valued than other animal species?

Debates over animal rights have been around since the peace sign was invented, the debates are not going away. However, whether or not researchers agree on a proper way to handle the shark problem, shark attacks are going to continue, population sizes are going to increase and there are going to be more and more problems that will arise involving marine life.