Why sharks bite but don’t eat people
Posted by Meggs | Fishing and Boating Posts, Mako fishing ban | Posted on April 24th, 2011
Greetings all,
I have a theory that I believe is quite unique that can be backed up by what I know to be irrefutable evidence.
You see I’ve been studying fish now for over 40 years and there is one commonality that I have witnessed during that time that cannot be disputed. Rest assured, there can be no counter arguments or counter claims. I have proof beyond a reasonable doubt that will take the sting and mystery out of so-called killer shark “attacks”.
Sit back and relax, take a deep breath as this astounding observation and revelation may shock you…
Guess what? After years of intense study, it is my belief and understanding that neither fish or sharks were blessed with an opposable thumb and forefinger. In fact, they don’t have hands (or arms) at all – amazing!
Unless they’re sold in supermarkets, fish fingers just don’t exist.
What the?
So that being the case the real question to ask yourself is (drum role please) “how do they pick things up?”
Ahhhh…with their mouths of course!
Fish use their mouths to test just about anything that takes their fancy and a popular misconception is that everything they pick up they intend to eat.
That is so wrong!
In fact nine times out of ten a fish will pick something up with its mouth and then unceremoniously spit it straight out. This is similar to how human beings pick up things with their hands and then discard them. Interestingly a newborn child will also display this trait. Ask any new mother and they will tell you that everything has a tendency to be picked up and tested in a new born’s mouth.
There are two morals to this story.
Firstly for fishermen it is important to consider the attractiveness and even downright curious nature of what we present to the fish to encourage it to sample the bait or lure in its mouth.
The other moral is that the shark has been blamed for “attacking” people and for being a real “man eater” whilst the truth is that they are not swimming around the ocean looking for people to eat. Think for a moment – how many people have actually been eaten whole by a shark? You would be hard pressed to think of a single incident and with the numbers of sharks killed and ripped open if it was the case there would be whole human carcasses flopping out of their entrails on docks across the world. It’s simply not the case.
Ask yourself how many people have been “attacked” and spat out and it’s quite obvious that the vast majority have.
And I believe it’s all because of the simple fact that poor old sharks don’t have hands…
Sea you later,
Skipper Meggs