“Sharks have been around for hundreds of millions of years, and while they continue to evolve, they are also in grave danger. Largely due to overfishing, shark and ray populations fell by 71.1% between 1970 and 2018, according to a 2021 study published in the journal Nature. 450 million years to be exact-ish, reduced by 70 percent in about 40 years by human involvement.
Yes, it’s that time again, Shark Week, the 35th year of Shark Week actually…. fascinating us for another year here on Monday’s free chat. Free Range has an environmental focus and nature is not all rainbows and bumblebees — it’s also made up of sharks, an Apex Predator second only to humans, who may be their final undoing.
Humans. No wonder some species of sharks eat people for lunch. They understand nature — hey, it’s the guy in the rubber suit or it’s me. And he’s looking pretty tasty. . . .
And from the book/ movie that brought sharks into our living rooms, swimming pools and nightmares, “Jaws” is quoted below, reminding us that though humans may win the war, sharks will always win the battle. . .
“The water was only up to her hips, so she stood, pushed the hair out of her eyes, and continued walking until the water covered her shoulders. There she began to swim—with the jerky, head-above-water stroke of the untutored.”
“A hundred yards offshore, the fish sensed a change in the sea’s rhythm. It did not see the woman, nor yet did it smell her. Running within the length of its body were a series of thin canals, filled with mucus and dotted with nerve endings, and these nerves detected vibrations and signaled the brain. The fish turned toward shore.”
Welcome to our Monday Free chat, all topics all the time, and Happy Shark Week — what’s on your mind today?