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I can't erase the fact that once a week, someone gets bit or that people are irrational in their fear. You know how many people die from accidental drowning each year?

I thought you would point out that there are likely more people in the water than ever before, that we've likely changed the ecosystem, and that other environmental impacts are leading to rising shark attacks.

Not really sure of there is causation between shark attack sensationalism and extinction but I fear it would be challenging to prove. It seems a reasonable hypothesis though.

That said, I agree with you that sensationalism is a menace and we should stop it everywhere. Just not really sure how to put that Jaws Pandora back in the box. There is much more interest in killing, blood, and gore than the mystery of great oceanic creatures.

Yes, there are more people in the water, and more people are traveling to beach locations. That's certainly a factor.

Sensationalism-induced fear is driving a lot of the "WHOOO LET'S KILL SOME SHARKS!" hunting. A lot more is being driven by idiocies like shark's fin soup and folk medicines. I don't know which is easier to get a handle on; probably the former. The latter problem is trans-jurisdictional and there's no real authority with the power to make it stop.

Humans are terrible.

Well, you could argue that the bloodsport around sharks probably makes people feel less bad about lopping a fin off. And overall, we're pretty nonchalant about killing the organisms that aren't cute or have no obvious use (hello mosquitos!).

Overall, I agree with you that I should try to be less terrible. Then maybe I can take the moral high ground every now and again.

Meh, for all you know I'm Ariel Castro.

As long as there are shark tornados, I will remain fearful of sharks.

400-year-old Greenland shark ‘longest-living vertebrate’

The team found that the sharks grow at just 1cm a year, and reach sexual maturity at about the age of 150

I hope they have some decent shark dentists, wouldn't fancy a toothache that lasted for 3 centuries.