The 35th edition of Shark Week kicks off with seven days of uninterrupted shark watching from 8pm to midnight through July 29th.
The origin of Shark Week dates back to July 1987 when Discovery Channel executives John Hendricks, Clark Bunting and Steve Chechen had the idea of creating the event to attract more viewers.
They were well aware of the fascination with sharks, which was reinforced by Peter Benchley’s book and Steven Spielberg’s 1974 film Jaws.
The goal of Shark Week was to engage audiences, but more importantly to engage and educate them by offering programming that explores the power and importance of these marine predators.
With the Spielberg classic failing to reassure people about living with this animal, Discovery sought to balance the negative portrayals often conveyed in popular culture.
Here are two suggestions for getting started with Shark Week:
Belly of the Beast: Feeding Frenzy
In this documentary we are interested in the way sharks feed. Not what they eat, but how they eat. Camera-equipped researchers brave a great white shark’s feeding frenzy from inside a life-size whale carcass decoy.
cocaine sharks
The deeper story here is how chemicals, pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs such as caffeine, cocaine, amphetamines, antidepressants and birth control drugs enter the seaways and our oceans and what impact they might then have on these vulnerable ocean ecosystems.
Despite the educational value and conservation focus of Shark Week, some experts have criticized the event for sensationalism and for not focusing enough on science and real conservation issues, such as hunting sharks for their fins, which kills millions of sharks every year and generates huge profits.
Shark Week continues to captivate audiences with its gripping and educational documentaries about sharks, while igniting debates on how best to raise awareness for the protection of these marine predators, which are critical to the balance of marine ecosystems.