Shark vs Man

“Somebody needs to tell them!” bellowed Gil.

“And how do you even know this information is true?” retorted Dent.

“The dolphins told me. You know they are the only ones who can understand and communicate with humans.” This made the four sharks stop swimming. They knew if the dolphins said it, it was true. Dolphins were sneaky, but they were not liars. The idea of sending a message to the humans would now be considered.

Gil, a hammerhead shark, Dent and Keenin are twin brother zebra sharks, and Seer an angel shark, are four best friends that grew up in the same reef together. Their species of sharks are the more friendlier ones whereas the Great Whites and the Tiger sharks are the more fearsome. Sharks have been in existence since the dinosaurs and are crucial for our ecosystems. They are more important than humans realize and are senselessly killing them off by the thousands threatening everyone’s existence.

Sharks are extremely important because they are one of the key components in keeping the homeostasis of our oceans. They are apex predators that maintain the checks and balances between predator and prey meaning they protect the species below them and preserve species diversity. Sharks also assist in keeping the coral reefs alive, which are another crucial component in the ocean’s homeostasis, and most importantly, sharks are indicators of the ocean’s health. Sharks eliminate any weak or sick ocean dweller sustaining the life of the waters. This is the message the sharks need to convey to the humans. The ocean’s health is at risk and without the ocean no one can live!

“What do we do? What do we do?!” Dent and Keenin are panicking. The thought of extinction is terrifying.

“We need to come up with a plan on how to tell the humans.” Gil responds

“And tell them what exactly?” Seer questions. He was the more serious one of the sharks and did not entertain much. He participated in the shenanigans, but not before he questioned everything and even then Seer played the referee, the observer, security, the judge...overall he made sure rules were followed and order was in place. Seer himself was not convinced extinction was lingering, the circle of life plays out everyday, this was no different. Gil knew this so he had to convince Seer this was a problem that affected him in order for a plan to be devised.

“A pod of dolphins that lives closer to the islands came across a dip in the waters about 50 miles from the land. They were curious to see if it was a new space the earth gave them for food and they found something so scary some of the pod swam away. It was a shark graveyard. They said there were more than 100 carcases, some new, some old. It concerned them so much, they watched the area for the next couple of weeks and discovered the fishing boats were the problem!”

“The fishing boats are the problem,” Seer said, almost mocking Gil. Gil noticed and became annoyed,

“Seer, you know Fisherman’s Corner is the spot sharks go to for a sure meal. You also know there has been an increase in missing sharks. They are being snagged in the nets, the humans have noticed we are there for the fish and they are killing us to stop us from eating their catch!” And at this point Gil was frustrated at the whole situation, at Seer for doubting the seriousness and at the humans for killing them.

“Seer, they are killing us for eating!! Do you understand that?!” Gil screamed this in Seer’s face with his fins touching Seer like he wanted to shake this point into him. This stopped Dent and Keenin from the race they were about to start as the conversation was not as important to them either, but should it be? They waited and watched for a reaction from Seer because it could be bad or worse, but surprisingly it was neither. He responded with Gil still touching him and in his face,

“So now you want to play Captain Save A Shark, is that it? Because the dolphins came across a few carcasses, should we now be worried about extinction? Absolutely not. It is the natural order of things, maybe those sharks should stay away from Fisherman’s Corner and the problem could solve itself.” Seer said that proudly because he thought he came up with the perfect solution.

“Fisherman’s Corner is one of our main food sources. We would need a replacement source and leaving Fisherman’s Corner leaves the fish to the humans and once they run out there, they will only continue to expand. We know how brutal humans can be; between captivity, being their food source, their trash can, their entertainment...they come into our oceans, our homes…”

Gil is becoming emotional,

“The land is theirs and the water is ours. If we could get a message to them, maybe some sort of truce, a treaty, to protect our lives and help them with theirs. We can set up a feeding and catching schedule!”

“A feeding schedule? What are we, babies?” Dent and Keenin questioned simultaneously.

“Do you have a better idea?” Gil snapped back.

At this point, the four sharks were all huddled together behind the reef while the hustle and bustle was around them; colorful fish of all shapes, sizes, and species, eels, sand sharks, manta rays all keeping the Coral Reef alive and well.

“How is the feeding/catching schedule different from what I suggested?” Seer chimed in. Gil glimmered with hope, Seer was beginning to believe there was a problem.

“We ask the boats to cut their visits in half and we instruct the sharks to avoid the area before the boats arrive. This should increase the amount they catch to make up for the time cut and still leave fish for us. If we just tell the sharks to stay away, the humans will not know the unnecessary harm they are causing and want to expand. It eliminates that idea because our suggestion keeps the supply steady and uninterrupted.”

“So the plan needed is how to get a message to the humans?”

Gil’s insides did a happy dance and it took a lot for him not to swim circles of happiness to have gained Seer’s confidence. They spent the rest of the night devising their plan, Gil and Seer, as Keenin and Dent slept and hunted. They were laid back sharks and went along with whatever Gil and Seer were doing. They did hold their weight because they would hunt and help when needed. Gil, Seer, Dent, and Keenin each possessed a trait the other shark lacked, creating a long term, compatible friendship.

After days of planning, they felt confident enough to make their first attempt. They have instructed the community of sharks to stay away from Fisherman’s Corner for the rest of the day to provide incentive to the humans that it can be done. It needs to be done, their lives depend on it, everyone’s life really. The plan was for the four of them to be waiting at Fisherman’s Corner with two dolphins and some fish who were willing to be the catch of the day. Gil was even more surprised than you that fish actually agreed to be the catch, but some fish want to be the catch, they rather be human food and served on a plate than ripped to shreds by some savage predator. The dolphins would then communicate with the humans using clicking sounds and whistles to relay the shark’s message. Humans created advanced technology that can interpret the dolphin’s language, understanding what is being said, at least that is what they told the sharks. Gil and friends never witnessed this for themselves hence their skepticism towards the whole mission, but trying is a must.

The sound of a motor is in the distance and the fish know the boats will soon arrive. They go over everything one more time and hope for the best. Seer still was not 100% confident in any of it, Gil’s anxiety had him shaking so badly he was making small ripples around him, and of course, Dent and Keenin were swimming around waiting for an order or a snack. As the boat reaches closer, the dolphins start clicking and whistling away transmitting the first half of the message - the sharks want to make a treaty, do not drop the net and flash lights twice if you agree to talk. It took a moment, but the lights flashed. Here was their moment, the dolphins began clicking and whistling away again, but this time their fins slapped the water and their swimming became synchronized.

Sharks are important, please stop killing us. The oceans will not survive without us and neither will you. This is not a threat. This is a truce. When you fish, we will not feed, when we feed you will not fish. There will be a security shark to ensure rules are followed and, by chance, if there is a snag, please release and leave us to deal with the culprit. Today, we give you the catch as a promise to a better future for us all.

The humans spoke among themselves and then spoke to the dolphins, the sharks not understanding a word had to wait for the dolphins to translate. The anticipation is merciless, but finally the dolphins swim over to say,

“They agree, but...”

The sharks cheer loudly, drowning out the dolphins, except Seer, that was too easy he thought. Keenin and Dent are zipping back and forth with glee just as the humans are lowering the net to accept the catch. As the twin zebra sharks zip their way back, Dent’s left fin snags the net and he gets pulled up above water. It happened so quickly no one had a chance to react, they just waited for Dent to be thrown back in. The dolphins, on the other hand, did not wait and headed to the top, and that’s when the shouting started and one dolphin headed back towards the sharks,

“One human has Dent! He keeps saying you couldn’t even honor the treaty for one minute before trying to steal some catch. He thinks it was a trick!”

Then there was a splash into the water. A body. A body that sank lifelessly that was surrounded by red and the red filled the water like a cloud, a blood cloud. It was Dent. Again as quick as it happened, the emotion of the sharks were cut short when suddenly a Great White Shark came spearing out the water like a bullet shot from a gun. This Great White collides directly into the boat, tipping it over into water and damaging the side. Another Great White shoots up and in one scoop of the jaws, takes three humans down to the ocean. The first Great White returns for the two remaining humans and disappears into the darkness. The ocean is eerily calm seconds after the surprise Great White attack and all is speechless and petrified except the dolphins who swam away before the second Great White showed up. That was definitely not the plan. Gil and Seer swim towards a crying Keenin when one of the Great Whites suddenly appear,

“The Great Whites heard of your treaty attempt and decided to lurk in case something went wrong and we were right. You could never trust humans. They are greedy creatures who are never satisfied and always want more- insatiable, dangerous beings who will learn their lessons not from us, but from their own mistakes and greed and as long as greed exists, there will never be peace.”

The idea of changing the world on a mass scale seems unattainable, but the truth is, it’s not. Change begins with you and the domino effect that follows. Spread love and pay it forward.