Bubbles in the Bathtub

The kids have been bugging us for a couple of weeks to let them watch Monster Quest (on the History Channel). So we finally gave in and watched an episode this morning called "Jaws in Illinois". Basically about how sharks have been reported upstream in fresh water rivers and lakes. Not that big a deal, as bull sharks are known to be able to move from salt to fresh water. In the end it was about 15 minutes of material (repeated over and over again) expanded in to an hour long show.

But the worst part was the extreme hyperbole playing upon the completely bogus reputation of sharks as cold-blooded killers. Indicative of the overblown drama was the line "they are invading our rivers". Never mind that the rivers don't belong to us and that sharks and many other organisms have been using them long before humans even evolved. They repeatedly suggest that humans are in mortal danger because the sharks are moving in to fresh water. Complete bunk!

Left unmentioned was that IF the sharks are increasingly moving in to fresh water it is because we have wiped out their food resources in the ocean and they are looking farther afield for food. Or perhaps they have just always been there and we didn't notice it. The truth is that shark species around the world are in trouble because we have wiped out their food sources, fisheries that target shark fins and waste the rest of the shark, and a shoot first ask questions later mentality when it comes to sharks fueled by shows like this that continue to demonize these magnificent marine creatures.

One cool tidbit of info was that scientists believe that greenland sharks live up to 200 years, the longest lived vertebrate on the planet. But in general, this show represents the worst kind of human arrogance. Hopefully the first and last episode of this show we will watch.