Beyond "Jaws": Saving Sharks - Florida Weekly

Beyond “Jaws,” the article examines how shark conservation efforts are shaped by media—and what Florida is doing to protect sharks in practice. David Boggs, owner of Marco Island Sharks, describes charter fishing focused on survival after capture, stating that delaying release after catching a hammerhead can kill the fish. The piece places this approach in context of Shark Week, now nearly four decades old, and notes that the show has become a major influence on public perceptions. Andy Dehart, a marine biologist and president and CEO of Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, says he reviewed Shark Week content for seven years and now discusses shark science and conservation publicly. Florida’s high shark concentrations stem from overlapping Atlantic and Gulf waters and nursery habitats in shallow coastal zones for species including lemon, bull, blacktip, bonnethead and nurse sharks. It also cites NOAA tagging and fisheries surveys, mentioning that some species such as blacktips have recovered under management while others remain vulnerable.