Re: [Paddlewise] Shark story stats

> From: "Craig MacKinnon" <elroca_at_earthlink.net>
> 
> Here's another angle:
> 
> http://slate.msn.com/?id=114958


Hardly an article (or author) I'd reference if I wanted the facts on
this subject.  There are over 300 species of sharks.  Only a very small 
number of shark species have been known to attack humans.  Marine
researchers and scientists make the point that the vast majority are 
harmless ("gentle" and "trusted" are Saletan's words and, in his effort
to poke fun at scientists and researchers as well as conservationists, 
he deliberately omits the distinction between the species... informing
the reader of the real facts is not his goal).

Saletan is engaging in the same game of promoting supporting statistics
of which he accuses the "apologists" by claiming 2001 figures are as 
high as 2000 when he's caught short... there turns out to be fewer 
attacks reported in 2001 than 2000... a *full* *eleven* percent! 8-O  
(before anyone thinks the numbers are significant, that's 85 reported
attacks for 2000 and 76 for 2001... but it's *still* eleven percent! :-)  
But Saletan wrote his article on shark attacks in September (during 
the big media feeding frenzy on shark attacks), when the number of 
attacks usually decline and before he could know there would indeed 
be fewer attacks for 2001.  George Burgess referenced the 2001 decline 
in attacks to punctuate the point that it is difficult if not impossible 
for scientists to get real meaning from those figures because... attacks
are so rare.  Burgess refused to acknowledge the lower figures had any 
significance or meaning in shark attacks.

I'm not sure what your point is.  Are you afraid you are going to be
attacked by a shark while out in your kayak, especially a bull shark
(i.e. the URLs you submitted on bull sharks which are believed by
researchers to be the most dangerous)?  My point (and I believe Alan's 
point) was that the sensationalism of shark attacks last summer was 
just that.  I know some folks find rationalism to be pretty boring,
but I find knowing the facts refreshing. And the fact is... there are 
a lot more concerns for kayakers (or the vast majority of the human 
population) than shark attack.  Simply put, it didn't deserve the media
hype and stopped getting coverage when September 11 happened (at least
in this country).  Note, there were 24 more shark attacks reported after
Saletan's Sept 7 article (another 46 percent!) but we just didn't read 
much about them because the media had bigger fish to fry.

I find it unfortunate but accurate when Iain Murray at STATS says 
"Every year there is a struggle between science and journalism that 
science normally loses."

But I do think there is hope.


Jackie

  
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