Extinction or a Billion Dollar Future - Guy Harvey Magazine
The True Value of sharks
Sharks are a big money maker, that much is clear. Whether they are fished, viewed, fictionalized and written about, or exploited for their fear-inducing headlines, they make a lot of people a whole lot of money. Based on a brand-new analysis, the global entertainment industry and media have been bringing in profits that far outpace every other sector that is usually considered when we talk about shark economics. Four decades of shark-specific TV programming, more than 75 big-screen movies, and hundreds of documentaries later, the earnings that have been generated are awe-inspiring.
Total disclosed earnings for 14 highlighted movies (including the Jaws franchise and The Meg): $2.9 Billion
Sharknado is said to have a total franchise gross of $4.5 Billion
Discovery Channel’s Shark Week annual revenue is estimated > $60 Million (National Geographic’s Shark Fest earnings are undisclosed but are likely to be similar)
Adding to that the revenue from gaming, live entertainment, merchandising, magazines, books, and cartoons and the numbers become mind-boggling. So, Sheriff Brody from Jaws was right when he said, “we’re gonna need a bigger boat,” except that the sentence should continue with, “to make more shark movies!”
Moving on to the next powerhouse industry that benefits massively from sharks – Dive Tourism. As determined by research papers in 2017, the global shark diving industry is worth $314 million per year and is expected to double to $780 million within the next 20 years. Sharks and rays in the Bahamas generate approximately $113.8 million annually for the economy.