Some countries have moved to protect certain species. In 1991, South Africa made it illegal to hook a great white shark within 200 miles of its coast. In 1997, the United States shut down commercial fishing for great whites, and limited recreational fishing to tag-and-release along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. In California that year, Governor Pete Wilson signed a bill that afforded great white sharks complete protection, and Australia did the same a few months later. Other sharks are beginning to receive similar treatment.

These efforts, however, can only go so far, due to the highly migratory nature of the most threatened sharks. Sean Van Sommeran of the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation noted, "Local independent grass-roots education and advocacy are crucial to the efforts of wildlife conservationists and management officials.” One example from our own coastal waters is a regulatory change instituted in March 2009 in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, prohibiting people from getting closer than 50 meters (165 feet) to a great white shark within two nautical miles of the Farallon Islands. The rule also prohibits the use of decoys or chum to lure sharks. Mary Jane Schramm, spokesperson for the sanctuary, commented, "We have had cases where people in vessels come charging up to the sharks, scaring them away from food they have just caught.” In making this change, sanctuary managers relied not only on scientific research, but also on public comment--underscoring the importance of education and advocacy.

Nosal tries to get the public "to be more conscious of how their fear of sharks has developed, and how it has been fostered over time.” People have access to sharks in three main ways, he said: directly, through a personal encounter; at aquariums (the Monterey Bay Aquarium has even had success in displaying great white sharks, an incredible and awesome sight); and--the predominant way--through the media, which, he said, typically show sharks in a sensationalist and negative light. "The background music they use is always scary. It affects you emotionally.” Direct encounters, in contrast--except of course for the exceptionally rare shark attack--are "invariably positive,” Nosal said. "Scuba divers will tell you it’s an amazing experience to be able to share company with a shark.” Independent filmmakers have weighed in to counter the frightening media image (see For the Love of Sharks).

And then there’s our consumption of sharks, as meat, cartilage (as in chondroitin supplements taken for arthritis), and, most commonly, in shark-fin soup. Nosal said, "I don’t want to vilify people who buy shark meat--it’s tasty, it’s good. Finning is the big thing. There is a demand for it. We can do all we can to make shark finning illegal, but the bottom line is, if there’s demand, there’ll be a black market.”

Gradually, efforts to educate people on this barbaric practice are bearing fruit. In 2005, Walt Disney Co. bowed to pressure from animal rights groups and agreed not to offer shark-fin soup at the new Hong Kong Disneyland theme park. Celebrities have gotten into the fight as well: in August 2006, Yao Ming, the seven-foot-six Shanghai-born star of the Houston Rockets, publicly swore off shark-fin soup at a Beijing press conference held by the environmental advocacy group WildAid. When WildAid conducted a survey in Hong Kong and China, said Nosal, "the vast majority didn’t know what was in shark-fin soup, because in Chinese it’s known as 'fish wing soup.'" But when told how the soup comes to their banquet table, the majority immediately said that they would find an alternative. A discussion thread on www.singaporebrides.com, in fact, offers many scrumptious-sounding substitutes for the traditional soup.

The combined efforts of people who have come to love sharks are building momentum. The Shark Foundation’s Gary Adkison draws inspiration from a famous saying by Margaret Mead: "Never doubt for a single minute that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Perhaps it’s not yet too late for these ancient and amazing fellow creatures.

Anne Canright can often be found at the Monterey Bay Aquarium gazing in awe at the various species of sharks on display there.