Perils of Shark Week

Eight people have already reported being bitten by sharks of North Carolina’s beaches this summer – which is more attacks than happened during all of last year. And coincidentally this is SHARK WEEK on the Discovery Channel, which is akin to the Super Bowl of nature shows – it’s that popular. Marine scientists have been increasingly concerned at how Shark Week programs amp up the fear factor and sometimes just plain make stuff up about sharks. The most-watched Shark Week show of all time aired two years ago all about an ancient, enormous shark called megalodon that still roams the sea. It was pure fiction. Megalodon has been extinct for millions of years. Sonja Fordham will talk about the pros and cons of Shark Week. She is the founder of Shark Advocates International at the Ocean Foundation. She’s been involved in shark policy projects for two decades.