This year, Shark Week was a much needed distraction from everything that was going on. So far, it’s probably been the best thing about 2020. Throughout the week, it was interesting to see how the pandemic had affected both the shows being produced as well as the sharks themselves. I’d have to say that my main critique for the week was that there seemed to be a lot of doubling of content. Right off the top of my head, I can think of at least 4 pairs of shows that covered similar (or the same) topics. I wonder if this is because of the pandemic. I’d imagine that with restrictions in place, it impacted what could and could not be filmed, and what shark hot spots could and could not be visited. I hope that the doubling wasn’t because of a lack of ideas though. There’s lots more ocean to explore, lots more to learn about sharks, and (hopefully) lots more Shark Week to come!
Naked and Afraid of Sharks: So, even though this show was listed in the schedule that Discovery posted to social media, it turns out that this was only aired in the US. Luckily, I live with someone who is able to fix these kinds of problems. Mark was able to get me a live stream of Discovery US so that I could watch this special episode of Naked and Afraid. Even though this show was just jumping on the Shark Week bandwagon, this was actually pretty good. The main focus was, obviously, the plight of five individuals who are trying to survive on a handful of small islands. And, “spoiler”, they’re all naked. But since the islands were surrounded by sharks, my favourite animal got the spotlight more than a few times. Although the survivors had to compete with sharks for food, they were still very respectful about the fact that this was the sharks’ habitat, while being mindful of the fact that these sharks can still be dangerous. The sharks were never made out to be this horrible villain and I really appreciated that. Each participant even gave a special shout out to sharks at the end of the episode. It was a nice touch.
So, while we all wait for Shark Week 2021, remember that sharks are jaws-some all year round. Allow me to get up on my soapbox for a moment:
Many sharks are endangered or critically endangered and need help. We all need to do our part to help ocean conservation efforts. Personally, along with reducing my plastic waste, I made another change in my life that I hope will help. It’s nothing massive but, like with plastic reduction, if we all make little changes then it will have a bigger impact compared to just one person making one big change. Last year, during Shark Week, I learned that some makeup products contain squalene from shark livers (this oil can come from plants as well, but apparently there are still brands out there using sharks for their makeup). After researching my preferred brand of makeup, I noticed that not only were there no easily accessible ingredients lists, but other consumers had expressed concern that there might be squalene in the products. And it doesn’t look like the company has addressed these concerns. Immediately, I began switching to a makeup company that produces vegan products. I wanted to be 100% certain that my makeup was 100% shark free. I hope I can continue to do my part to help sharks, because if we lose these apex predators, we’ll lose more than just Shark Week
