David Villodres I Málaga, (EFE) , which ensures that Hollywood “has demonized” sharks, despite the fact that human meat, he stresses, is not part of their diet.
This young man from Malaga tries through his work and his activity on social networks to break the bad reputation surrounding these great predators, even though events such as those that occurred a few days ago in Egypt, where a tiger shark devoured a young Russian man who was bathing in the Red Sea, they do not play in their favor.
The mecca of cinema, Sarria underlines, has also “done a lot of damage” to the species, especially films like “Jaws”, by Steven Spielberg, which made the world look at sharks with terror, despite the fact that the film, he assures, It is full of myths that have little to do with reality.
From fear to admiration
This biologist was able to transform the fear of the shark that Hollywood instilled in him out of “passion and admiration” as he studied it and now acts as a guardian of these animals on his Instagram account, in which he shows the bowels of the seas to his followers.
This researcher from Malaga founded Condrik Tenerife together with two “shark freaks”, a research group that has the support of the Government of the Canary Islands and whose objective is to create a database of the presence of these animals in the archipelago.
Now, in addition, he is working on the development of the second edition of the ‘Vlu Ocean Adventure’, a project with which he seeks to raise awareness in society about these marine animals with the participation of actors, musicians and influential people on social networks.
swim with sharks
Sarria, who has dived among sharks and other species in areas such as the Maldives and the Canaries, claims to feel “peace” when he dives with these animals and says that he has never had any “scares” with them. Only “the occasional headbutt”, she recounts anecdotally.
He explains that all sharks have a series of behavior patterns and that “if you know how to interpret them” you can anticipate situations “that could otherwise be dangerous.”
The researcher highlights the importance of sharks in marine ecosystems, since they are at the top of the food chain and are in charge of regulating the rest of the species so that there is no overpopulation.
An isolated case
Recently, the world witnessed the ferocity of a tiger shark, “one of the potentially most aggressive species”, which swallowed a young Russian tourist on the shores of the Red Sea before the astonished gaze of other bathers, some of whom filmed the scene. attack with their mobile phones.
The biologist from Malaga points out that cases like this are very rare and that it is unlikely to die from a shark bite. It is an “isolated case”, says the expert, which should not serve to further demonize these animals.
The specimen that devoured the Russian citizen was captured and beaten to death and his body will be displayed as a trophy. “We cannot humanize the shark, judge it and treat it as if it were a murderer. She was a pregnant female. We must not take revenge on an animal that does not think like us”, says Sarria.
The danger of networks
On social networks it is common to see videos of people diving among sharks that are harmless to humans, which is a common practice among people seeking strong emotions and new experiences.
However, Sarria stresses that not all sharks can have “an easy swim”, since there are certain species, somewhat more territorial, with which one can have a “compromising experience”.
In the presence of a shark, the young man explains, the best way to act is to remain calm, “although it sounds easier said than done”, adopt an upright position and not splash in order to “distinguish yourself as much as possible from possible prey, while you try to to move away to any safe place”.
A good business
Sarria recalls that the cinema has represented sharks as authentic predators, although the real threat is felt by them due to indiscriminate fishing and the juicy business around their meat and fins, which in some species represents half of their total price.
Spain is an exporter of shark meat and fins. The latter is consumed in Asia, as a delicacy, cut and boiled in a soup whose price exceeds 200 dollars.
The blue shark -or blue shark-, which is the species that Spain exports the most, is in critical danger of extinction in the Mediterranean and vulnerable internationally, and although there are measures for its protection, such as those of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), “do not have sufficient legislative weight” to change the laws of the countries.
To all this is added accidental fishing, the species that are caught without being the objective and that are then returned to the sea alive, dead or dying. This is another problem suffered by blue sharks, which can make up 90% of the trawl when trying to catch swordfish. EFE