Sharks

Humans kill over a million sharks a year. Sharks kill about five people a year. In a good year for sharks, they kill about ten of us

The following article by Katherine Rundell, published in the New Yorker on July 29, 2024, has been edited for length and has added commentary by Henry Clement, publisher. 

Watch out at Home Depot

In comparison, snakes kill eighty thousand people yearly, crocodiles a thousand, hippopotamuses five hundred, and lions two hundred. You stand a greater chance of dying from constipation, tornadoes, or lawnmowers. Yet, we don’t feel a shiver of fear when we stroll past the lawn-care section at Home Depot

There is no such thing as shark-infested waters, in the same way that there is no such thing as a child-infested school. You cannot infest your own home. Fear is, of course, a great good. It can be a form of wisdom. But if we could reorient the sentiment—and direct it, for instance, toward those humans whose vested interests lie in persuading us to acquiesce in the living world’s destruction—we would fare better. Beware an ExxonMobil-infested State Department; beware a fossil-fuel-infested politics. These are dark times, and there are many things to fear. But none of them are found swimming under a vast sky as the waters around us warm and empty.

Sharks are marvels of design

At a loose calculation, some can work through thirty thousand teeth in their lifetime, each pushing the next out like a factory belt to remain sharp and ready. The whale shark, always a fish of extremes, has more than three hundred rows of tiny teeth. Others, like the dainty cookiecutter shark, eat their lower dental plate whole. Shark skin is covered with dermal denticles—tiny, tooth-like structures that help prevent barnacles from accumulating, similar to those that affect whales. If you stroke a shark incorrectly, you may experience “shark burn.”Better not to stroke one at all.) We have yet to confirm any mechanism by which sharks can deliberately make sound; instead, they communicate by head, mouth, and tail movements, by the position of their body in the water, and the dipping of their pectoral fins.

Fin biting is for courtship, and arched backs are for intimidation

Sharks are marvels of design. At a loose calculation, some can work through thirty thousand teeth in their lifetime, each pushing the next out like a factory belt to remain sharp and ready. The whale shark, always a fish of extremes, has more than three hundred rows of tiny teeth. Others, like the dainty cookiecutter shark, eat their lower dental plate whole. Shark skin is also covered with dermal denticles—tiny teeth that keep away the barnacles that plague whales. Stroke a shark incorrectly, and you will get “shark burn.” (Better not to stroke one at all.) We have yet to confirm any mechanism by which sharks can deliberately make sound; instead, they communicate by head, mouth, and tail movements, by the position of their body in the water, and the dipping of their pectoral fins.

Sharks do not hold grudges

Every year, people report sixty more nonfatal unprovoked attacks. You are much more likely to get bitten by someone in Manhattan than a shark off the North American coast. As you probably won’t win the lottery or become globally famous for your looks and charm, you can rest assured that a shark won’t attack you. Sharks don’t crave human blood or flesh. They, unlike crows, don’t hold grudges.

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How Many Species of Shark Are There in the World?

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Smithsonian Institute, scientists have officially identified over 540 species of sharks as of 2025. These species range from tiny, bottom-dwelling sharks less than 20 cm long [8-inches] to enormous filter feeders like the Whale Shark. The Basking Shark is one of the largest species, known for its filter-feeding habits and harmless nature.

Sharks are classified into eight major orders, each representing a broad evolutionary branch:

1. Carcharhiniformes – Ground sharks (e.g., tiger shark, bull shark)

2. Lamniformes – Mackerel sharks (e.g., great white, mako)

3. Orectolobiformes – Carpet sharks (e.g., whale shark, wobbegong)

4. Hexanchiformes – Frilled and cow sharks (considered ancient or primitive)

5. Squaliformes – Dogfish sharks, many of which inhabit deep-sea environments

6. Squatiniformes – Angel sharks, flattened like rays and often ambush predators

7. ctHeterodontiformes – Bullhead sharks, found in rocky reef environments

8. Pristiophoriformes – Sawsharks, named for their elongated, saw-like snouts

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How to fly fish for sharks, and an orange colored fly should be the color of choice

Thanks to the guides in the Florida Keys, sharks eventually attracted the attention of more clients and got written about in the best fishing magazines of the day. That opened up a whole cast of anglers on both coasts fishing for sharks, most shamefully, kill for the boast of it, and then into the dock dumpster and teeth for sale at novelty shops. 

Guide John Emery, nicknamed Little John by his friends, along with his oftentimes angling companion Norman Duncan (inventor of the Uni-Knot, which is more correctly called Duncan Loop-see below), initiated the earliest savvy of fishing for sharks and approached it as a sport—catch and release. They unlocked the earliest secret of how to attract their attention with a fly. Here is how that all happened.

Norman Duncan recalls the 1950s  

“John and I would fish the roadside flats, and the canals in new housing developments of the Upper Florida Keys, then head back early in the afternoon. We would stop at the roadside just north of the Jewfish Creek Bridge [then a narrow one-lane draw bridge spanning the creek] along Barnes Sound. At that time, there was a fish house on pilings out in the Barnes Sound called “Manatee Smoked Fish.” They also sold fresh fish and turtle meat. We found that they slaughtered the turtles and fish at night, then threw the carcasses out the back door into the sound. Even driving by, we could see the small bonnet and lemon sharks cruising these beautiful white sandy flats. We would find out when they would dump fish and turtle waste.

Kay Brodney

While fishing the canals and channels, we often used the recently developed orange/yellow streamer fly for tarpon by Kay Brodney and Jim Adams. They were steelhead and Pacific salmon anglers from the Northwest [Kay still holds several IGFA world records]. Brodney’s accomplishments can be found in Steve Kantner’s book, Fifty Women Who Fish.

Usually, we tied a shock leader on the tippet, sometimes with wire. If we didn’t re-rig, we would use some of these same flies when we waded these flats. We soon found that the sharks and barracudas would respond best to the orange/red flies. We thought these colors best imitated the carnage they were feeding on from the smokehouse. 

At about this time, I read a report that the US Navy had tested several life rafts in the ocean by dropping them all well offshore. When they returned a week later, they found that the rafts from one of the manufacturers had one side ripped apart, apparently by sharks. It turned out that this manufacturer had their specifications written on an orange patch at the waterline! John and I were not at all surprised at this finding.

1960s

By the early 1960s, Little John and I joined some of the local fishing clubs. The members were keen on learning as much as they could about all aspects of light tackle fishing. When it came to getting the generally nearsighted sharks to respond to a fly, we recommended using orange/red streamer flies since we had found them to be most effective. 

This concept of fly colors took off in the fly fishing circles. However, I don’t know if Kay Brodney’s, Little John, and my idea was the first introduction of streamer fly pattern and color to attract shark and barracuda, but it is still the gold standard worldwide today.”

NOTE 1. Emery passed away soon after the period Duncan refers to from the ravages of a life on the water without sunscreen protection – skin cancer.

NOTE 2. Sharks continually shed their teeth; some Carcharhiniformes shed approximately 35,000 teeth in a lifetime.

NOTE 3. How to tie the Duncan Loop Knot correctly.

NOTE4: Featured Image Scott Hamilton solved how to tease, feed, and catch spinner sharks on a fly. Scott is front and center in the Palm Beaches and one of its best fly fishing charter captains – if he doesn’t know something about spinner sharks, it’s not worth knowing. If you want a shot at spinner, contact Hamilton at Fly Fishing Extremes.

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