Oceans 4Ever

Sharks on film – it’s an almost irresistible combination that can all but ensure the filmmaker a big hit, with wide viewership – but only if done in an all-to-familiar and irresponsible manner. We’ve been down that road, and it doesn’t work for sharks – and it shouldn’t work for us.

We’re very lucky to have nature and underwater filmmaker Richard Theiss, of RTSea Productions, on O4E, guest-posting on just this sentiment. Richard dives with and films sharks for a living; he should know.

Settle in for Richard’s take on how a filmmaker should stand by sharks – then check out RTSea’s blog – Keeping an Eye on Nature – for the latest exciting chronicles of his adventures.

photo by RTSea

RT: From the earliest days of filmmaking to today’s complex world of digital video, films have presented images of nature that have inspired, enlightened, and even frightened people around the world.

As we enter an era where critical conservation and environmental issues are being brought to the forefront more and more, nature documentary filmmakers have an increasing responsibility to be factually accurate while entertaining the viewer so that the audience will be motivated to protect our natural resources.

However, for filmmakers who work with sharks, as I do, this can be a particularly challenging proposition because of the near-primordial reaction that people have with sharks – a fascination, but one that is laced with fear and apprehension.

The temptation – perhaps the easy way out – is to play to that fear. Jaws, of course, would be a classic example and there have been many films and television programs since that seminal film that have done just that. But that simply reinforces the myths and misconceptions surrounding sharks. In fact, if a film does make a point of presenting factual information,  just one reference to a shark attack – particularly if it’s a visual reference – can nullify all the information meant to set the record straight regarding man’s true relationship with the shark.

In speaking engagements, I have often said that shark conservation is a tough sell. To be sure, there are dedicated shark advocates who understand both the important role that sharks play in a healthy marine ecosystem and the many threats these animals now face – but that represents a small number compared to the general viewing audience. Sharks are not afforded the “warm and fuzzy” factor that many terrestrial animals enjoy – the cuddly bear, the cute fur seal, or the seemingly wise and sociable whale. Sharks can seem cold and, as predators, lie just below the surface – waiting for us. That’s a tough image to work around.

Some shark advocates choose to swing the pendulum of perception from one extreme (“the only good shark is a dead shark”) to the other extreme (“sharks are gentle, just like a bunch of puppy dogs”), which I believe goes beyond what the typical viewer is willing to accept.

I prefer to play it right down the middle – the truth, and nothing but the truth.

And the truth is that sharks are predators and scavengers – extremely important predators and scavengers that help maintain the proper balance and health of the marine ecology.

 The oceans cannot survive without them.

Richard Theiss filming lemon sharks, photo by Christie Fisher

The message I try to convey to my audience is: you may not love them, but you must appreciate them. You can’t enjoy the jackrabbit or the deer without appreciating the coyote or the wolf. And you can’t enjoy the colorful reef fish or the comical seals without appreciating the shark.

I have been fortunate to dive with and film many different species of sharks – from great white sharks to tiger sharks to tiny bamboo sharks. As a professional who is being paid to gather the best images possible of these animals, that sometimes can put me at a degree of calculated and accepted risk.

These are wild animals whose behaviors can be studied and anticipated but never fully guaranteed predictable. And that is how it should be; we have entered the oceanic domain as strangers and we must play by the ocean’s rules. But throughout all my experience with sharks, I have never lost my understanding that these magnificent animals belong here – every last one of them.

So a pro-shark conservation approach does not limit the filmmaker in any way. Falling back on exaggeration or over-sensationalism is not necessary; the truth is that sharks are incredibly fascinating animals all on their own.

Richard Theiss filming a great white shark, photo by Gabriel Beyrent

If we are to change the strong economic and social attitudes that fuel today’s markets for commercial shark products – from shark fins to cartilage, liver oil, and more – then shark filmmakers must dedicate themselves to changing minds of people with solid, convincing arguments.

This is even more important when it comes to establishing perceptions in the minds of young people, the next generation that will have to live with the legacy of our thoughts and actions.

Shark films can be exciting, they can be entertaining, but they must be on-target. We owe it to the sharks; we owe it to ourselves – for our futures are intertwined.

~Richard Theiss

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 Is it Friday already?

Then let’s TGIF!

We can’t think of a better way than with this Sharktakular Top 5 list from our friends at the Smithsonian Ocean Portal. 

If you haven’t visited what we affectionately refer to as ”the OP,” get on over there right now – but please allow yourself some browsing time, because you will be lost in their comprehensive ocean science and conservation offerings that will deepen your passion for all things BLUE. The website is a collaboration with a network of more than 20 research partner organizations from around the world, and we dare say there is truly something for everyone at the OP. This post will hit the Portal next week, but they have brought it to the Shartakular first. Thanks, Ocean Portal team!

Here are their ‘Top 5 Reasons to Revere – Not Fear – Sharks:’

August 1^st 2010 marks the being of an annual television ritual: The Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week.” But this summer, as the TV frenzy begins and millions tune in for sensational docudramas like Oceans of Fear and Deadly Waters, we challenge you to take a second look at these magnificent creatures.

photo credit (c) Terry Goss 2006/Marine Photobank

Why? We’ll give you five reasons to re-think the shark—even the great white, a species that has starred in our horror movies and collective nightmares for decades. It’s time to embrace the fact that there’s far more to sharks than their bite.

1. Respect Your Elders

Sharks have a long and impressive lineage. Ancient sharks, including relatives of the great white like the giant megatooth, were cruising the ocean long before dinosaurs. Meet some of the other imposing top predators from ages past.

2. King of the Food Chain

Sharks have six highly refined senses: smell, hearing, touch, taste, sight, and electromagnetism. These finely honed senses, along with a sleek, torpedo-shaped body, make most sharks highly skilled hunters. They often serve as top predators—keeping populations of prey species in check. Removing them in large numbers can have ripple effects that throw entire ecosystems out of balance.

3. Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself

While shark attacks do occur, they are actually extremely rare—despite the extensive media coverage they usually receive. In fact, your chances of being the victim of an unprovoked shark attack are lower than your chances of being struck by lightning, injured in a hunting accident or even attacked by a domestic dog. Even though the odds are in your favor, sharks are wild animals that must be respected when encountered.

4. Risky Behavior

It’s not just comparisons to other traumatic events that can help put the danger of shark attacks in perspective. Things we encounter in everyday life and common activities often pose much greater danger than sharks. For example, you are much more likely to be killed by a car or bicycle accident, a fall, a mishap with fireworks, or even a bad case of the flu than by a shark attack.

Marcia Moreno-Baez, University of Arizona/Marine Photobank

5. The Tables are Turned

Every year, humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks. The threats we pose are many. By-catch: the accidental killing of sharks in fishing gear intended for other species. Illegal poaching and hunting: selling shark fins for soup and sportfishing for shark-jaw trophies. Nets: placed along coastlines to keep sharks away from beaches. It turns out that sharks have more reason to fear humans than the other way around. That’s why even shark attack survivors have started speaking up in defense of sharks.

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You’re never too young to start caring about sharks.

We’d like to introduce you to Alexa’s cousin,  Avery Jean. She’s four, and is learning about the ocean in her preschool class. She made a poster for Sharktakular to express her feelings.

“I love all ocean animals, and sharks bring balance to aquatic life,” Avery say. ”They’re very important and I don’t want them to die.”

Her poster reads “I love sharks. Don’t FINish them.”

We sense a deputy O4E editor is now being groomed!

Just goes to show you, you’re never too young to start caring about – and helping – sharks. We’ll have more on the latter in part two with a guest post by Robin Culler, teacher and captain of Oceana’s 2010 Junior Ocean Hero winners, The Shark Finatics. 

Have a SHARKTAKULAR evening!

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