We may fear them, but they should fear us. Overzealous fishers
have had a dramatic effect on populations of Pacific reef sharks
in recent decades, causing their numbers to plummet by more than
90 percent. Drawing on new research that overlaps shark
population data with information on human fishing activity in
the Pacific, scientists say that sharks fare far better in areas
of the ocean where human fishing activity is minimal. In areas
with no or few humans, sharks were recorded in populations of up
to 337 per square mile, a number that dropped to about 26 per
square mile near the Hawaiian Islands and Samoa. Pacific Reef
Sharks in Rapid Decline