Do sharks deserve the bad reputation we get?

"Bloody", "fierce", "scary" are words we often use to describe sharks. But are they worth being called?

According to QZ, everyone has strange fears that are not really reasonable. The most famous is probably the fear of sharks. We spend more fear on sharks than for car accidents even though they rarely kill anyone - only 5 people die from sharks in 2017 - while cars are seriously dangerous and take away 1.3 million lives every year in the world. However, there are very few blockbusters about cars while sharks are always a hot topic every summer, from the movie Jaws in 1975 to Meg this summer, starring Jason Statham to fight. against a 75-foot "prehistoric shark " (more than 22 meters).

Although indirectly, humans rely on sharks to survive.

If you're smart, you'll start to appreciate sharks, no matter what Hollywood says. We need them for many reasons, at least because these top predators are seen as "police" of the ocean when it helps maintain a balance for the marine ecosystem. They have a strategy of eating well and often choose weak old prey (because they are easy to hunt) and retain healthy animals. Sharks also threaten other organisms to maintain the ocean's habitat.

For example, scientists in Hawaii believe that when the number of tiger sharks decreases, turtles will eat all the most nutritious seagrass, leading to the destruction of seabed ecosystems. From 1959 to 1976, the state destroyed nearly 5,000 sharks to make the sea safer for humans, but scientists found that this almost did not make a difference in fish proportions. fat attack every year. On the other hand, the destruction of sharks has affected the health and balance of marine ecosystems.

Although indirectly, humans rely on sharks to survive. We depend on the oceans to create oxygen and keep the air we need to breathe clean. The ocean removes half of the world's greenhouse gases - more than tropical rain forests - it helps control the planet's weather and temperature. Sharks maintain a natural balance in the ocean, thus protecting us.

A theoretical study in 2016 was published in Ecological Informatics that marine ecosystems are overfished and the low amount of sharks contribute to increasing carbon dioxide production in the ocean, thereby changing the climate. . In addition, it causes a natural imbalance and increases the greenhouse effect.

The oceans also provide about one-third of the world's food source. Every year 200 billion pounds (1 pound = 0.45 kg) of fish and shellfish - including sharks - are caught as food for humans. The disappearance of sharks has destroyed many fisheries areas - our seafood supply -.

Sharks are not interested in meeting or eating us when we are in their territory. Last year, there were 155 recorded cases of sharks in the world (Shark Attack File). Of these, 88 cases were confirmed as non-agitated attacks, 30 cases were agitated, 18 cases involving boats, 12 cases were not even sharks. and the rest cannot be determined correctly. These people include divers, fishermen, surfers and swimmers.

The ISAF website explains: "The number of human-shark interactions is directly correlated with human time at sea . " As the population developed and entertained under water became more popular, these interactions increased. However, sharks are not actively attacking us, just that we are increasingly appearing in their territory, so we face the "police" of the ocean more often.

Sharks are not interested in meeting or eating us when we are in their territory.

Sharks have a long evolutionary history and that is another reason for us to respect them. They were present for a very long time, about 400 million years. They swim through the oceans before the dinosaurs roam the Earth. In contrast, humans only exist for about 300,000 years, up to 500,000 years.

Understanding sharks can help solve human problems. Sharks that heal wounds are particularly quick and are good at fighting infections and sores. Scientists are sequencing their genome to find out the key to the problem since it applies to human medicine.

For example, a treatment called the Omnigraft Dermal Regeneration Matrix uses shark cartilage. Shark genes can also provide clues to cancer treatments - a 2017 study shows that sharks have developed cancer resistance genes.

Meanwhile, Sharklet Technologies is testing the use of shark skin cells to clean surfaces at risk of staphylococcus aureus staph infection in hospitals.

In any case, many people are still very stylish in sharks. In 1961, sharks were inspired to design General Motors' Chevrolet Corvette Mako Shark concept. The car was never marketed but GM always considered it a symbol in its design history.

Shark skin also emerged in sports design, inspiring swimsuits Speedo's Fastskin II is said to reduce swimmers' resistance - this is a change that created a new wave at the 2008 Olympics .

For all these reasons, perhaps sharks deserve to rethink that they are not as scary and obnoxious as we thought.