Shark Awareness Day On July 14 Celebrates The Amazing Sea Creatures That Have Had A Bad Reputation For Quite A Long Time Now. When You Think Of The Dangers Of The Sea, Sharks Definitely Make It On The List Because Of The Way They Are Depicted In Movies And Cartoons. However, Shark Awareness Day Is Not A Day To Cry Foul At Said Innocent Fish, But Instead, It Is A Day Of Crying Foul For Them. The Strong And Extremely Resilient Predators Are, In Fact, More Scared Of Humans Than The Other Way Around. There’s A Bigger Chance Of Being Struck By Lightning Than Being Killed Or Assaulted By A Shark. From Being Killed Because Humans Are Terrified Of Them To Being Harvested For Their Meat And Fins, Sharks Have Made It On The List Of Endangered Species, Which Is Bad News For Them As Well As Our Environment.
History Of Shark Awareness Day
Shark Awareness Day Seems To Have Its Beginnings In The U.S., But The Day’s Goals Of Raising Awareness In Favor Of Said Sea Creatures Are Universal. Sharks, Like Fish, Date So Far Back In History That Many Scientists Refer To Them As ‘Living Fossils.’ In Fact, Sharks Are Older Than Trees And Dinosaurs, With The Latter Having Roamed The Earth Only 230 Million Years Ago. Sharks, On The Other Hand, Have Been On The Planet For Over 420 Million Years Now. They Have Also Survived Five Mass Extinctions. They Belong To The Cartilaginous Group Of Fish Because Most Of Their Skeleton Is Made Up Of Cartilage Except For Their Teeth, Which Are Hard, Sharp, And Strong To Snag And Break Down Their Meals. Their Sleek Body Shapes Aid In Providing Agility When Swimming. Sharks Also Typically Have Five Or Six Slits On Their Sides And Pectoral Fins That Are Not Attached To Their Heads. 
Over The Centuries, Shark Numbers Have Dwindled Due To Several Reasons. People Have Been Hunting Them For Their Skin, Meat, And Fins Across The World. This Overfishing Has Led To Many Shark Organizations Lobbying To Make The Shark Meat Trade Illegal. However, Many Fishing Companies Refuse To Follow The Laws And Protocols, Continuing To Catch Sharks For Their Personal Gain. Moreover, The Scary And Dangerous Image Of Sharks, Created By Pop Culture, Has Led To Many Unnecessary Killings Of The Fish. According To Studies And Research, The Shark Population Has Reduced By An Enormous 71% Since 1970. Such A Situation Is Alarming Because A Reduced Shark Population Can Have Grievous Impacts On The Environment. Sharks Keep The Ocean Health In Check By Keeping The Population Of Other Sea Inhabitants Under Control. For Example, Sharks Prey On Sea Turtles, Who Eat Seagrass That Is Important For Carbon Storage. If The Sea Turtle Population Increases, The Carbon Stores Are Threatened And, By Extension, So Is The Ecosystem.
