To celebrate the Discovery Channel's Shark Week 2014, we fished around for facts on the sustainability issues they face

Since its inaugural appearance in 1988, the Discovery Channel Shark Week has become a highly-anticipated part of the televisual calender in the US. Every year, a week of programming is dedicated to the predators, the myths surrounding them and their fight for survival, with Discovery UK mirroring its US counterpart this year.

The shark's place as a pop culture icon was assured after the success of Steven Spielberg's 1975 blockbuster adaptation of the Peter Benchley novel Jaws. With this new-found fame came an unjustified reputation as a bloodthirsty man-eater.

There are between 50 and 70 shark attacks a year but of nearly 400 identified species of shark, only 12 are thought to pose any threat to humans. The great white shark is listed as a vulnerable species and commercial fishing causes an estimated 100m shark deaths every year.

Shark Week 2014 has already faced some controversy. With accusations of more frivolous and fictional programming than in recent years, including documentaries on mythical sharks and shark killing-sprees, the channel is facing claims that it is perpetuating, rather than debunking, the negative myths surrounding sharks.

Here, we bring together a range of Guardian articles that highlight the role sharks play in the eco-system and some of the sustainability issues they face.

Sustainability concern: Commercial fishing

The Pacific island of Palau is trying to protect its shark population through measures against the commercial fishing industry. The island valued one living shark at $1.9m in terms of environmental tourism. This compares to a value of $10,800 per shark to a commercial fisherman. Palau's government has put legislation in place to safeguard their biodiversity, which may have repercussions for the tuna industry, given that fishing fleets will find their access to one of the worlds most plentiful supplies restricted.

Sustainability concern: Bycatch

Linked to the commercial fishing industry is the serious problem of bycatch, which sees sharks trapped and killed by nets that are intended for more sustainable fish populations. An unlikely partnership between fishermen and scientists hopes help reduce bycatch, improving both sustainability and profitability.

Sustainability concern: The shark fin industry and popularity of shark fin soup

Photograph: Paul Hilton/EPA

Of the 100m sharks killed by humans every year, an estimated 73m die for their fins, which are thought of as a symbol of wealth in China and other Asian countries. Following a concerted drive against the practice, the shark fin industry has seen sales reduced by between 50-70%.

Sustainability concern: Water pollution

A rise in the population of great white sharks and whale populations around New York and New Jersey is being attributed to the efforts to clean up the waters in the area. Action to reduce the pollutants that New York businesses dump in the Hudson river has seen fish return to the waters, and with them their natural predators.

Sustainability concern: Biodiversity

In January 2014, Western Australia took the measure of announcing a shark cull, granting an exception to current fishing laws regarding endangered species. The move followed seven fatal shark attacks between 2010 and 2013. The initial three-month trial saw over 100 sharks caught and destroyed, with the state seeking to extend the cull. The article states how the cull may have a negative impact on breeding amongst this vulnerable species.

Sustainability concern: Supply chain

There are lessons humans can learn from sharks, in terms of copying the Lévy patterns seen in nature, which involve regular local sourcing and fewer long-range journeys. There is a theory that using these natural patterns as a template, businesses could improve the efficiency of their supply chains.

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