The second series of the Shark Trust podcast Living with Sharks launches Tuesday 12 May, bringing a fresh focus to one of the ocean world’s most complex and increasingly important conversations, how humans and sharks can safely coexist as shark populations begin to recover in some parts of the world.
Sharks have existed in the oceans for more than 400 million years, but decades of overfishing have caused dramatic population declines across many species. At the same time, human activity in the ocean continues to increase, from tourism and recreation to fishing and coastal development. According to the Shark Trust, the new podcast series explores what happens when conservation efforts succeed and sharks return to areas where people also live, work, and enter the water regularly.
The new series examines what it truly means to “live with sharks,” tackling subjects including fisheries, ecotourism, coastal communities, shark bite incidents, conservation conflict, and public education. The Shark Trust says the aim is to better understand how shark conservation can progress while also supporting the people who share the same marine environments.
Throughout the series, listeners will hear from scientists, conservationists, and people working directly with coastal communities around the world. Discussions focus not only on reducing risks, but also on improving understanding, respect, and long-term coexistence strategies for both people and sharks.
The podcast will address a range of key questions, including:
- What happens when people stop fearing sharks and begin living alongside them?
- Can storytelling change how sharks are perceived and protected?
- What does successful coexistence actually look like in practice?
- How should recovering shark populations be managed to ensure harmonious coexistence?
Episode one is available now on major podcast platforms and YouTube. The opening episode features Cat Gordon, Senior Conservation Officer at the Shark Trust and lead on the project, introducing the central themes of the series and outlining what the organisation hopes to achieve through the initiative.
New episodes will be released every two weeks and will explore topics such as shark-human conflict, human behaviour around sharks, ecotourism, depredation, beach safety, shark bite incidents, education, local ecological knowledge, and coexistence with large marine predators. Bonus episodes are also planned throughout the series.
The Shark Trust also confirmed that SurfEars is sponsoring the second series of the podcast.
More information about the Shark Trust, the Living with Sharks project, and ways to support the initiative can be found on the organisation’s official website.
Comments
