A lot of people ask marine biologist and shark researcher Greg Skomal the same questions, as they head to the beach, he said: “Am I going to be bitten by a shark? What should I do?”
“I tell them, well, number one, drive safely,” he told GBH’s Morning Edition co-hosts Paris Alston and Jeremy Siegel Monday. “Because the chances of being hurt in your car are absolutely far greater than being hurt by a shark.”
Skomal is one of the nation's most renowned shark experts. He has studied great white sharks off the coast of the Outer Cape, Greenland Sharks under six feet of ice near the Arctic Circle, tiger sharks in the Caribbean and basking sharks near New England shores.
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He’s alsothe co-author of the new book "Chasing Shadows" with Ret Talbot, which tells stories and offers insights from decades of studying the sea creatures.
The book explores his career and how his thinking about shark-human interactions has evolved.
“I used to think that sharks were quite harmless and they were, you know, portrayed as evil villains and it was exaggerated. But the older I got, I really started to accept the fact that these animals occasionally bite people, albeit it happens extremely rarely,” he said. “I've developed a healthy respect for these creatures to the extent that I understand the fact that they're unpredictable.”
Skomal’s love for sharks began when he was a child, he said.
“Like many kids, I was infatuated with sharks and dinosaurs, but I never really outgrew the shark part of it,” he said. “And then I saw this really cool movie called ‘Jaws,’ which absolutely fascinated me.”
He saw Matt Hooper, a shark-loving marine biologist played by Richard Dreyfuss, and thought, “I think I’d like to be that guy,” he said.
Over his career, he said, he’s grappled with portrayals of sharks, both in Hollywood movies and in news reports.
“I would argue that probably the white shark is one of the most iconic, charismatic animals on earth, yet it is probably the most feared,” he said. “And so part of my inspiration as a kid was, what do we actually know about this species? And can we reveal some of its secrets to try to dispel some of the myths?”
When people ask him about how to handle swimming in the waters sharks call home, he tells them to learn a bit about the beach they’re headed to and the species that live there.
“The probability of a shark attack is extremely low, but it goes up in certain places,” he said.
On the Outer Cape, for instance, restoration of seal populations has meant more sharks are in the water looking for food. It’s a sign of a healthier ecosystem, but it also means humans should be aware of their surroundings and their own swimming abilities.
“The truth of the matter is, we've caused far more damage to shark populations, here in the U.S. and on a global scale, than they have done to us,” Skomal said. “And we need to respect them. We need to restore them.”
