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A 12-foot female tiger shark swims above a row of SCUBA divers in the Bahamas. Credit: Jim Abernethy of Jim Abernethy's Scuba-Adventures.com, www.scuba-adventures.com
People love sharks. We might be scared of them, but we still love to watch them glide through the water. Most of us watch them on TV, but many prefer to see the real thing — to see their menacing shapes from a boat, or even to plunge in and swim with the sharks.
In fact, shark tourism is big business. And in the next couple of decades, it could become even bigger. As a result, sharks could be worth a lot more alive than dead.
A study in 2013 found that shark tourism was generating more than $300 million a year in economic activity, and about 10,000 jobs. The Bahamas led the way, at more than $80 million, followed by Spain and Australia.
Tourism generated only half the total income produced by catching sharks, though. The animals are still a popular food in Asia, particularly in shark-fin soup.
But the study found that the two businesses are headed in opposite directions. The annual shark catch has been declining, while shark tourism is growing. Based on current trends, in less than two decades tourism could generate $780 million per year — far more than the income from catching sharks. That means it would make economic sense to keep the sharks alive.
Of course, there are potential downsides to shark tourism as well. Putting more boats and people in the water could damage habitats for sharks and other creatures, and generate noise pollution that could harm the sharks. Still, well-managed waters could bring big economic benefits — and it wouldn’t do the sharks any harm, either.
