National Shark Awareness Day Is Not About Fear

Visitors watch and snap pictures of a school of sardine and a hammerhead shark in a tank at Tokyo Sea Life Park in Tokyo.
Visitors watch and snap pictures of a school of sardine and a hammerhead shark in a tank at Tokyo Sea Life Park in Tokyo. –KOJI SASAHARA/ AP
SHARE TWEET Shape Created with Sketch. COMMENTS
By
, Staff Writer
July 14, 2014

With about a month to go until Shark Week, take today to make yourself aware of the underwater beast.

According to The Discovery Channel, today is “Shark Awareness Day,’’ which seems to be a day to look at sharks in a more positive light than they are normally portrayed.

Discovery Channel actually wishes their readers a “Happy Shark Awareness Day!’’

Smithsonian has a 45-minute documentary about “Shark Girl,’’ about 20-year-old Madison Stewart, who doesn’t fear sharks, but instead tries to protect these “misunderstood creatures.’’

Your odds of being attacked by a shark are actually 1 in 11.5 million, according to research by the International Shark Attack File.

Advertisement

Negative stereotypes and images of sharks have prompted groups like The Pew Charitable Trusts to “raise awareness about the global decline of sharks, their importance to healthy marine ecosystems, and their benefit to local economies.’’

In an effort to “show sharks in a different light,’’ The Discovery Channel even listed some fun facts:

– “A great white shark can roll its eyes into the back of its head for protection when attacking prey.’’

– “In rare cases, female sharks can give birth without mating, a form of reproduction called parthenogenesis.’’

– “The dwarf lanternshark is the world’s smallest shark; it is smaller than a human hand.’’

– “A great white shark named Nicole swam 12,400 miles — across an entire ocean and back — over a 9-month period.’’

Though not as popular as Shark Week, #SharkAwarenessDay is swimming on Twitter:

Jump To Comments
TOPICS: National

Be civil. Be kind.

Read our full community guidelines.
Close

Get the latest breaking news sent directly to your phone. Download our free app.
Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play
620 Memorial Drive
LOCAL
Man arrested after stealing dog from car in Cambridge May 8, 2021 | 5:28 PM
Boston Public Health Commission worker Darris Jordan, left, distributes COVID-19 care kits to people who have received a COVID-19 inoculation at a vaccination site at the Reggie Lewis Center, in Boston, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. The COVID-19 care kits include masks, sanitizer, a thermometer, and hand soap, among other items.
Daily #s
Mass. reports 795 new COVID-19 cases, 8 new deaths May 8, 2021 | 5:10 PM
Local
Norfolk bus driver arrested after students find gun on seat May 8, 2021 | 3:58 PM
Calvina Strothers the mother of Mikayla Miller speaking during a vigil for Mikayla Miller, the Hopkinton teen whose death has become a lightning rod in the community after 16-year-old's body was found hanging from a tree in a wooded area near her home on April 18. Police told family members Miller died by suicide, but her family says they want clear answers on what happened and that they feel ignored by police and the district attorney. On the right is Mikayla's aunt Angela Clark.
Mikayla Miller
Massachusetts mom wants outside review of Black teen's death May 8, 2021 | 3:14 PM
In this Sept. 20, 2016 file photo vehicles are seen near Colonial Pipeline in Helena, Ala. A major pipeline that transports fuels along the East Coast says it had to stop operations because it was the victim of a cyberattack. Colonial Pipeline said in a statement late Friday that it “took certain systems offline to contain the threat, which has temporarily halted all pipeline operations, and affected some of our IT systems.”
National
Major US pipeline halts operations after ransomware attack May 8, 2021 | 3:14 PM
Crime
Connecticut mother charged in death of 3-year-old son May 8, 2021 | 2:50 PM
Swan Boats are back in the pond at The Public Garden.
LOCAL
Boston's iconic Swan Boats return after a year off May 8, 2021 | 2:46 PM
This image released by the Italian Culture Ministry shows a cave near Rome where fossil findings were discovered, shedding new light on how the Italian peninsula was populated and under what environmental conditions. The Italian Culture Ministry announced the discovery Saturday, May 8, 2021, saying it confirmed that the Guattari Cave in San Felice Circeo, where a Neanderthal skull was discovered in 1939, was “one of the most significant places in the world for the history of Neanderthals.” (Emanuele Antonio Minerva/Italian Culture Ministry via AP)
World
Archaeologists discover remains of 9 Neanderthals near Rome May 8, 2021 | 2:35 PM
In this Thursday Oct. 8, 2015, photo, a sign welcoming visitors in both English and French is seen across the border from Vermont in Cornish, N.H.
New Hampshire
Officials expect summer tourism rebound in New Hampshire May 8, 2021 | 2:20 PM
A great white shark named Danny was detected near two Wellfleet beaches in 2020.
LOCAL
Shark museum to open at site of pirate museum May 8, 2021 | 11:24 AM
Hurley and Sciarappa
Local
Cambridge police seeks the public's help after cat found bound and shot to death May 8, 2021 | 10:32 AM
In this May 7, 2021 photo, Kristi St. Laurent, who ran for a House seat in the 2020 election, poses in front of Town Hall in Windham, N.H. St. Laurent, who requested a recount after losing the 2020 election by 24 votes, has led to a debate over the integrity of the election in Windham and prompted Trump supporters to suggest the dispute could illustrate wider problems with the election system.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
In a small New Hampshire town, the 2020 election still rages May 8, 2021 | 10:02 AM
LEWISTON, ME - NOVEMBER, 7: Students walk past Hathorn Hall in the Bates College campus in Lewiston where flyers were circulated that some consider an attempt at voter suppression. Monday, November 7, 2016. (Photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
Bates College
Bates College takes away batons from security officers May 7, 2021 | 6:15 PM
Boston, MA - 4/20/2021: Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center vaccine clinic at the Prince Hall Grand Lodge., on April 20, 202. The center is in operation 5 days a week as well as two Saturdays a month, servicing people with appointments and walk-in. (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff) coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic (please mention Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center in the caption. Thank you.
Vaccination #s
Mass. reports 2,835,762 people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 May 7, 2021 | 5:29 PM
Chelsea, MA--12/7/20-- A patient receives a COVID-19 test at a coronavirus testing site in Chelsea Square set up by Health Innovations. (Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff)
Daily #s
Mass. reports 881 new COVID-19 cases, 5 new deaths May 7, 2021 | 5:03 PM
Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
Juston Root
Lawsuit from family of man fatally shot by police in Brookline alleges officer didn't tell truth about body camera May 7, 2021 | 4:10 PM
HAVERHILL, MA - 5/06/2021: 10VAXOUTREACH...... Waving to vehicles passing by a vaccine sign is Marvin Marte (cq), a site specialist employee with Curative. Haverhill area residents being vaccinated by Curative at a pop-up clinic using an AMVETS Hall in Haverhill. Curative has been reaching out to hard-hit communities to encourage vaccination. Massachusetts is pivoting to a new outreach strategy in an effort to boost immunization among the unvaccinated. (David L Ryan/Globe Staff ) SECTION: METRO
Coronavirus
Vaccine hesitancy could prolong the pandemic. A local team created a toolkit to overcome it. May 7, 2021 | 3:07 PM
The TripAdvisor application on an iPhone. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor reverses decision, removes insensitive review of Auschwitz Museum May 7, 2021 | 2:00 PM
Newton
Authorities ID worker who died in Newton wall collapse May 7, 2021 | 1:40 PM
FILE — In this Oct. 1, 2012 file photo, then Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine gestures as he talks to reporters on the field before their baseball game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, in New York. Valentine, 70, is entering politics, announcing Friday, May 7, 2021 that he is running for mayor of Stamford, Conn. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
Bobby Valentine
Bobby Valentine is running for mayor of his Connecticut hometown May 7, 2021 | 1:26 PM
Mikayla Miller.
Mikayla Miller
Middlesex DA: Mikayla Miller death investigation could take months to complete May 7, 2021 | 12:38 PM
In this May 25, 2020 file image from surveillance video, Minneapolis police Officers from left, Tou Thao, Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are seen attempting to take George Floyd into custody in Minneapolis, Minn. (Court TV via AP, Pool, File)
National
4 ex-cops indicted on U.S. civil rights charges in George Floyd's death May 7, 2021 | 11:54 AM
Boston, MA - 5/7/2021: Rob Gronkowski, former New England Patriot, made a donation to to renovate the Charlesbank Playground. He signs the ceremonial check held by Governor Charlie Baker. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
Local
'Happy Gilmore-type checks': Rob Gronkowski donates $1.2 million to renovate Esplanade playground May 7, 2021 | 10:23 AM
**EMBARGO: No electronic distribution, Web posting or street sales before WEDNESDAY 3:01 A.M. ET MAY 5, 2021. No exceptions for any reasons. EMBARGO set by source.** Jordyn Coleman and his teacher, Kema Rankins, work on an assignment in English class at Oakhurst Intermediate Academy in Clarksdale, Miss., on Feb. 2, 2021. Students at the school split their time between in-person and remote learning. (Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times)
SCHOOLS
Should school reopen with one month left? Here's what more than 500 readers said. May 7, 2021 | 9:52 AM
A member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey crew lies beside a 240-pound lake sturgeon pulled from the Detroit River. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
National
Biologists reel in a 240-pound fish from the Detroit River that likely hatched a century ago May 7, 2021 | 9:30 AM
California condors rest on Cinda Mickols’ porch as a flock of the rare, endangered birds took over her deck over last weekend in Tehachapi, Calif. About 15 to 20 of the giant endangered birds have recently taken a liking to the house in Tehachapi and have made quite a mess. (Cinda Mickols via AP)
Condors
Only a few hundred California condors live in the wild, but about 20 teamed up to trash one woman’s deck May 7, 2021 | 9:23 AM
Disney
Disney's 'woke' moves spark a conservative backlash May 7, 2021 | 9:09 AM
FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 8, 2021 file photo, A man walks out of a Marc's Store in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. With viral cases declining, consumers spending again and more businesses easing restrictions, America's employers likely delivered another month of robust hiring in April, reinforcing the economy's steady rebound from the pandemic recession. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
Jobs
U.S. employers added just 266,000 jobs in April as hiring slows May 7, 2021 | 8:50 AM
A Long March 5B rocket, carrying China’s Tianhe space station core module, lifting off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China on April 29.
23 tons
Heads up! A used Chinese rocket is tumbling back to Earth this weekend. May 6, 2021 | 11:53 PM
Red Zone
13 Mass. communities have the highest risk of COVID-19 this week May 6, 2021 | 9:17 PM