Great White Sharks May Soon be Endangered; Jaws Needs Help

Jaws may need saving. According to environmental groups, only 339 of these great white sharks remain in the Northeastern Pacific region. Fortunately, they may soon get some help. The California Fish and Game Commission will vote whether or not to take the first steps toward designating this shark as an endangered species.

Great whites are one of the ocean's largest creatures. They can grow to be 21 feet in length and can weigh a monstrous 4,000 pounds.  Although this species of shark has received a bad reputation from past movies such as Jaws, it rarely attacks people. In fact, more people have died from bee stings and dog bites than from great white shark attacks, according to Mercurynews.com. Instead, the great white usually eats fish, seals, sea lions, dolphins, sea birds and marine turtles.

The Wednesday's vote, which is in response to a petition from three environmental groups, will help determine the fate of these massive oceanic creatures. Although great whites are the essential apex predator of the oceans, they have suffered a variety of issues in the past which have slowly thinned their populations. High levels of mercury, DDT and other chemicals can be found in the bodies of great whites, young sharks are often caught in fishing nets and their food source of choice, sea lions and seals, have declined in several regions. All of these factors combined mean that the great white may be in for trouble.

Although last month state biologists said there is sufficient evidence for the Fish and Game Commission to move ahead with listing this species as threatened or endangered, the listing itself may be a long time in coming. The move to designate an animal as an endangered species usually takes about a year.