THE YEAR OF THE SHARK CELEBRATION: In 2010, environmental group will ‘explode the myths' and ‘celebrate the beauty' of sharks in Okaloosa Island

Sharks have far more reason to fear humans than humans have to fear sharks, the Humane Society of the United States says.

To counterbalance shark fishing on the Emerald Coast, Humane Society Senior Vice President John Grandy told The Log, the society is planning a 2010 event in Okaloosa County that will celebrate sharks and discuss the “damage to their population” that shark-fishing and shark-fishing tournaments cause.

Grandy, who recently visited the Emerald Coast and met with local environmentalist M.C. Davis, said the society is working with Davis’ Biophilia Center in Freeport to organize a celebration of sharks. The event will be held at the Emerald Coast Conference Center on Okaloosa Island on an undetermined date. He said it will include presentations from national speakers and high-quality documentaries and independent films.

“We want to explode the myths about sharks that were largely created in the movie ‘Jaws’ and celebrate the beauty of these animals,” Grandy said.

It’s not a new position for the society: In 2006, they protested against Destin’s revival of its Deep Water Shark Tournament, the first time in 15 years the event had been held.

In 2007, the Destin History & Fishing Museum, which had sponsored the contest, announced that after meeting with the Humane Society and Davis, it wouldn’t sponsor a second.

This year, however, the Destin Fishing Rodeo included a “Shark Saturday” contest, which also drew fire from the group.

The Humane Society’s Web site says that such events around the country, coupled with commercial fishermen catching sharks for their fins, means humans kill far more sharks than vice versa.

“We want to let people know the horrible plight in which sharks find themselves,” Grandy said. “Many, many species are in danger — the great white, the porbeagle shark and a number of sharks caught in these commercial tournaments.”

Grandy said the Humane Society runs a “large and vigorous” program for protecting wildlife, for example a campaign to stop the killing of baby seals in Canada, and supporting the Shark Free Marina Initiative, an organization which pushes to have no dead sharks allowed on the docks. Initiative director Luke Tipple said his group has been invited to participate in the celebration. [EDITED for information provided by Tipple]

Grandy added that Fishpond USA, a fishing-gear retailer, has been a big supporter of the society’s shark campaign.

“It says how far the status of sharks has deteriorated, when a company that sells fishing equipment is taking a public stand,” Grandy said.