Just hearing the word shark sends shivers down many people’s spines. That is mainly because of the great white shark. It’s easy to see why. These predators can be more than 20 feet long. Their huge, powerful jaws are lined with up to 300 razor-sharp teeth.

But the great white is just one of more than 500 shark species. Macdonald points out that most sharks are only a few feet long—and have no interest in hunting us.

Just hearing the word shark sends shivers down many people’s spines. That is mainly because of the great white shark. It’s easy to see why. These predators can be more than 20 feet long. Their huge, powerful jaws are lined with up to 300 razor-sharp teeth.

But the great white is just one of more than 500 shark species. Macdonald points out that most sharks are only a few feet long. She says they usually have no interest in hunting us. 

^{Source: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention}

Shark attacks do happen, but they’re very rare. Of all the people who swam in the world’s oceans last year, only nine were killed by sharks. Meanwhile, according to some estimates, humans kill about 100 million sharks each year. 

^{Source: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention}

Shark attacks do happen. But they’re very rare. Countless people swam in the world’s oceans last year. But only nine were killed by sharks. Meanwhile, according to some estimates, humans kill about 100 million sharks each year. 

About one-third of all shark species are at risk of extinction. Their numbers have been depleted mainly because of overfishing. That is being driven largely by demand for shark fins. The fins are used to make a soup popular in some Asian nations. Many sharks are also accidentally scooped up in nets meant to catch other fish.

About one-third of all shark species are at risk of extinction. Their numbers have been depleted. This is mainly because of overfishing. Overfishing is being driven largely by demand for shark fins. The fins are used to make a soup popular in some Asian nations. Many sharks are also accidentally scooped up in nets meant to catch other fish.

^{Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}

The loss of sharks can be bad news for the health of ocean ecosystems. Large shark species, like great whites, feast on other fish and large sea creatures. That prevents the populations of those animals from growing out of control.

Plus, sharks of all sizes keep other species healthy by preying on sick or weak animals. If sharks disappeared, the entire food chain could be thrown off balance.

^{Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}

The loss of sharks can be bad news for the health of ocean ecosystems. Large shark species, like great whites, feast on other fish and large sea creatures. That prevents the populations of those animals from growing out of control. 

Plus, sharks of all sizes keep other species healthy. They do so by preying on sick or weak animals. If sharks disappeared, the entire food chain could be thrown off balance.

The U.S. banned the hunting of great whites and four other species in 1997. In the past 25 years, the government has passed several other laws protecting sharks in U.S. waters. As a result, some species, including the great white, have slowly made a comeback in U.S. coastal areas.

Macdonald points out that this hasn’t led to a major increase in attacks on people. Still, she realizes that many people will continue to be scared of sharks. But, she says, that shouldn’t stop them from caring about the creatures.

“You don’t need to love something to acknowledge it has a right to exist and an important role in the ecosystem,” Macdonald says.

The U.S. banned the hunting of great whites and four other species in 1997. In the past 25 years, the government has passed several other laws protecting sharks in U.S. waters. As a result, some species have slowly made a comeback in U.S. coastal areas. This includes the great white.

Macdonald points out that this hasn’t led to a major increase in attacks on people. Still, she realizes that many people will continue to fear sharks. But, she says, that shouldn’t stop them from caring about the creatures. 

“You don’t need to love something to acknowledge it has a right to exist and an important role in the ecosystem,” Macdonald says. 

1. Why do sharks need human protection?
2. According to the article, why do many people fear sharks?
3. How does the author support the claim that the loss of sharks is bad for oceans?
   

1. Why do sharks need human protection?
2. According to the article, why do many people fear sharks?
3. How does the author support the claim that the loss of sharks is bad for oceans?