'Legacy' - The Words of Peter Benchley

[DevonDiver]

The Words of Peter Benchley - a wonderful short film documenting the legacy of 'Jaws' author and shark preservation advocate Peter Benchley. Created by Joe Romeiro and Bill Fisher of 333 Productions for sharksavers.org

Enjoy!

 

[danvolker]

There is no doubt Jaws was a spectacular movie, but calling Benchley a "Shark conservationist" would be like calling Joseph Goebels ( Reich Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany ) a great humanitarian. [h=1][/h]No one has done more to make the average human hate and fear sharks than Benchley, which also means he has most likely caused more shark deaths for "sport" than any other human.

All that said, I really enjoyed watching Jaws and the sequels, and I believe Benchley deserves his iconic status in Hollywood. But I don't do "revisionism"

 

[DevonDiver]

Benchley spent most of the rest of his life regretting writing Jaws. That sentiment is reflected in the film linked. His wife is still very active in shark education and conservation.

 

[supergaijin]

As DD has said, Benchley spent decades studying the GW and other large animals- he's written a few entertaining non-fiction books about the sea and his love for it is clear.

Nobody could have forseen the popularity of JAWS- or the repercussions of it.

Putting a hate on Benchley is like hating Sir Ernest Rutherford for splitting the atom.

 

[DevonDiver]

Peter Benchley's non-fiction books certainly attempted to 'set the record straight':

from wikipedia:

Non-fiction Books

• 1964: Time and a Ticket
• 1970: Life's Tempo on Nantucket
• 1994: Ocean Planet: Writings and Images of the Sea
• 2001: Shark Trouble: True Stories About Sharks and the Sea
• 2002: Shark!: True Stories and Lessons from the Deep
• 2005: Shark Life: True Stories About Sharks and the Sea (with Karen Wojtyla)

Links

• Peter Benchley at the Shark Research Institute
• The Peter Benchley Shark Conservation Awards
• Shark Alliance
• Official site
• Peter Benchley at the Internet Movie Database
• Peter Benchley: Rapture of The Deep
• Peter Benchley: Shark Conservationist (LA Times)

 

[danvolker]

So he felt bad after he "rang the bell". Still, I would guess less than one half of one percent of all the people that saw JAWS, saw or read ANY of the shark conservationist work product.

I can say I have never read or seen ANY of these in your list, but have seen all the JAWS films multiple times.

The demographics are all wrong for this...the people that fell in love with FEARING AND HATING sharks, are not going to watch a shark conservation show.....that would be like trying to get Rednecks to watch a special show on needlepoint....it just wont appeal to them.

Then, don't forget the new genre of films Benchely spawned....A testament to this was on the SciFi channel last night, they were doing Shark Horror movies....The 2 headed shark attacking yachts and eating everyone, then a film on a SUPER Shark the size of a bus that can Jump on to land, and walk in order to eat more people, and on and on. There were several others, but all were utilizing the primal terror that JAWS thrilled the world with.

 

[DevonDiver]

So he felt bad after he "rang the bell". Still, I would guess less than one half of one percent of all the people that saw JAWS, saw or read ANY of the shark conservationist work product.

To be fair... the late 60's/early 70's wasn't a critical time for sharks - the population depletion has occurred, shockingly and rapidly, over the past decade and a half. Conservation of sharks wasn't an issue back then.

He wrote a work of fiction that virtually sci-fi. At the time, he had no idea it would be filmed...and become an iconic movie that mesmerized a generation.

Sharks were pretty universally demonized until recently. Not just because of Jaws. Watch some of the old Cousteau films... they slaughter a few sharks here and there without regard. Can't call Cousteau a devil for conservation....

It's nice to see that we've "learned" in the last decade... not sure if it'll be enough to preserve many of the critical shark species though.

I can say I have never read or seen ANY of these in your list, but have seen all the JAWS films multiple times.

I read his book 'Shark! True Stories and Lessons from the Deep' last year. It's awesome... every dive pro should read it.

 

[Them]

I haven't seen any of the Jaws movies. I guess they were before my time or I was living in a parallel universe.

As a former surfer I am well aware that sharks can and do mistake humans for their normal prey. Usually in special circumstances like when you are floating on your board with hands/feet in the water. I had a certain amount of concern about taste testing in that situation, though not enough to keep me out of the water.

As a human being I'm also aware that sharks taste great. Plus they don't have all the little bones you would find in a mackerel. I like 'em! I would have one for dinner if I had my choice.

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that people give far too much credit to entertainers. As a general rule they don't create new fears or ideas - they exploit or at best represent the social gestalt. The idea that an author could make people fear sharks is an ego boost I'm sure but unless you are the author - or looking for an easy target for blame - it just isn't credible.

 

[DevonDiver]

As a human being I'm also aware that sharks taste great. Plus they don't have all the little bones you would find in a mackerel. I like 'em! I would have one for dinner if I had my choice.

Enjoy your meal


CNN - Beware of Shark Meat, FDA warns

"What we found for our 124 sharks that we sampled was that about one-third of them came in with mercury levels that were over the Food and Drug Administration's action level of one part per million,.."

BBC News - Mercury poison found in shark

"...independent tests on shark fins bought in Bangkok showed that some had mercury levels up to 42 times higher than the safe limit for humans."

Environment News Service - Mercury Food Alert Issued for Swordfish, Shark

"The [UK Food Standards] agency found that shark has the highest levels of mercury,.."

Methylmercury poisoning – the danger from the sea

"In the marine ecosystem sharks are on top of the food chain, this means that they eat other marine creatures and through this grab all contained toxins. Substances that – once assimilated degrading only very little in the animals organism – are passed on after their death to their eater.....Sharks on the top end of the marine food chain are final depots to the poisons of the seas. Methyl Mercury is one of the biologically most active and most dangerous poisons for men."

The damages to men caused by eating shark products are huge. Even small quantities of sharkmeat can contain large quantities of poisonous methyl mercury.
When eaten methyl mercury is assimilated from the human body close to 100%. It passes the blood-brain barrier without any problems and reaches the brain undiluted what other toxic substances can’t do. Even the mechanism that separates the mothers bloodstream from the embryo (diaplacentary barrier) is passed without any problem, the protection of Mother Nature for the unborn baby is functionless. The accumulation of Methyl Mercury to the embryonic and developing brain and other vital organs can not be prevented. Massive developmental disorders of the brain, of the peripheral nervous system, severe damage to kidneys and mutations can be the result.
The american health administration – and meanwhile also the EU – publish intensive warnings not to eat shark meat to pregnant women and those in child-bearing age

The circumstance that high doses over a short time period cause a more severe, sometimes irreversible damage to the human organism than lower doses over a long period of time makes this problem even worse.

The national academy of science in the US estimates that only in the US more than 60.000 children are born each year with neurological damages caused by a methyl mercury exposure during pregnancy.

The fact that mutations, cancer and neurological damages to adults and not only to children occur under the influence of methyl mercury is considered to be scientifically confirmed. In the year 1998 scientists like Dr. Dickman and Dr. Leung found the consumption of shark meat as the main source for methyl mercury causing a massive limitation in male fertility. Those results got proof in 2002 by a group of scientists around Dr. Choi of the Prince of Wales Hospital and Chinese University.

During a serial examination ordinary couples in Hong Kong had been tested for Methyl Mercury. A numerous amount of men was found with a high level of Methyl Mercury and diagnosed to have abnormal spermatozoa mobility and spermatozoa mutations.

Another fact that makes the exposition of the human body to Methyl Mercury even more fatal: Even if you are aware of the poisons presence – the damages to the central nervous system can’t be made undone.

Human health is endangered by the consumption of shark meat.

• High doses of Methyl Mercury (MeHg) can be found in shark meat
• High doses over a short time period cause a more severe – sometimes irreversible – damage to the human organism than lower doses over a long period of time
• MeHg, can be the reason for mutations on newborns, damages to the nervous system, developmental disorders, sterility and others
• Shark meat as cream horn, shark steaks, sharkfinsoup, European conger, etc. can be traded legally
• Worldwide sharks are endangered of being extirpated but still are the main target for some fishermen
• From officials the risks caused by methyl mercury are played down, uniform limits are not binding
• No difference is being made between mercury and the a thousand times more toxic methyl mercury – the same limits apply!
• So far the interests of lobbyists took priority in comparison to consumer- and environmental protection

 

[Them]

Enjoy your meal

Always do.

The mercury levels of shark fins in bankock don't really have much to do with me. Now if that was about shark caught locally off southern California it might possibly be relevant. Even then I never are the fins.