Part of the reason I did this book is to help change our perceptions about sharks. In my view, they’re living art–simply the most gorgeous creatures in the ocean. More important, though, we have to stop treating them as dangerous animals that need to be controlled, and take measures to prevent their extinction. Sharks are scavengers; they clean up the wounded and weak animals in the sea. Without them, things can get knocked out of balance. Since the start of the ’80s, commercial fisheries have targeted sharks much more aggressively–often for their fins, which sell at premium prices in Asia as a delicacy. Now 20 species are close to extinction and many more are threatened. They don’t reproduce quickly: the Great Whites, for example, don’t reach sexual maturity until 12 to 14 years old, and then produce only one pup at a time. At that rate, they’ll take a long time to recover.
