Mind you, Jeff Wise is the same guy known for spreading at least one nonsensical conspiracy theory about the disappearance of MH370 on platforms like Netflix (something I found when researching a different bad Netflix doc) so would like to know which "scientists" he's referring to in this slop.

Yes but it becomes a problem when, like Ramsey, they openly lie about basic scientific facts & peddle total nonsense like ‘I have a special connection to sharks’. That doesn’t help sharks effectively.

I’m all for shark-positive media, it’s desperately needed, but it’s got to be done responsibly.

So, from my work, ‘shark influencers’ tend to be idiots getting up close, recklessly harassing sharks while pretending to be conservationists. Ramsey just also lies about what causes shark declines.

‘Shark hunters’ definitely bad though as they reinforce a lack of empathy for threatened animals.

Thing is, as much as I dislike ‘shark hunters’ like this guy: these individuals aren’t the major driver of overfishing: it’s unsustainable commercial fishing (factories on boats).

He’s also (I presume) not claiming to be the sole messiah of sharks like Ramsey is when she misinforms her followers.

I can’t say I’ve ever heard of ‘Mark the Shark’ so could you explain please?

Nonetheless, the reason Ramsey gets criticised is because she recklessly harasses sharks & misrepresents science & her role as a ‘conservationist’ to an enormous platform. As my article details rather painstakingly.

Read the blog here on my website: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/shar...

It’s the biggest I’ve ever done for my tiny little portfolio so I appreciate any & all readers.

I hope producers of shark documentaries will do better next time.

Fin! 🦈 (9/9)

A massive thank you to my 4 scientific experts that provided quotes and/or fact checked this huge piece: @whysharksmatter.bsky.social; @melissacmarquez.bsky.social; @kjparton.bsky.social & Mckenzie Margarethe.

It was a privilege to have input from some of the biggest marine SciComm voices (8/9)

Media like this can powerful tools for aiding shark conservation, but not if they mislead their audiences.

Shark Whisperer is far from the only bad shark documentary spreading misinformation, but it wound me up enough to the point that I simply had to write about it (7/9)

Ultimately, while part of me does believe that Ramsey genuinely cares about sharks; this whole film is little more than vanity.

Researching Ramsey’s activities & online harassment of critics has convinced me that this is more about one person promoting a brand than it is about helping sharks (6/9)

It even ignores that Ramsey has never shared any data with scientists, data that could potentially be used to inform conservation policy.

Perhaps most egregiously, it omits the very real harm both human & shark suffer when idiotic influencers are hurt trying to get selfies with sharks (5/9)

The film blames shark declines solely on shark finning, which science shows is simply not the biggest driver of shark losses – unsustainable overfishing is.

It also overinflates Ramsey’s role in a Hawaiian shark fishing bill, & its impact on shark conservation, to the point of lying (4/9)

The documentary instead rather laughably portrays Ramsey as this “chosen one” with a “connection” to the sharks just going about their day while she harasses them.

Moreover, the film consistently misleads its audience about scientific facts & Ramsey’s role in shark conservation… (3/9)

Who is Ocean Ramsey?

She’s a diver who pokes & rides large predatory sharks for Instagram videos all while claiming this is somehow promoting conservation. The problem? This is wildlife harassment, does nothing for shark conservation & can actually harm the sharks; something the film omits (2/9)