Attitudes and misconceptions towards sharks and shark meat consumption along the Peruvian coast

Misconceptions, lack of knowledge, and negative attitudes towards sharks act as barriers preventing actions required to tackle threats to shark populations, limiting the success of global shark conservation initiatives. Peru, a major player for the international trade of shark products, recently approved the ‘National Action Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras’ (PAN-Tib); a guiding document for conservation initiatives aimed at these fishes. Within PAN-Tib, the assessment of Peruvians’ current knowledge and attitudes towards sharks is listed as a research priority. Between June and October 2016, 2004 Peruvians were surveyed along the coast to characterize their (i) shark meat consumption patterns, and (ii) knowledge and attitudes towards sharks. Results suggest that shark meat consumption is extended, but not necessarily frequent, and higher in the northern regions of the country. However, 77.5% of shark meat consumers were unaware that they had eaten sharks. Although 57.6% of the participants recognized that sharks are present in Peruvian waters, only 19.4% of the surveyed population was capable of naming at least one local shark species. Moreover, Peruvians have very negative attitudes towards sharks. They fear them and view them as man-eaters, despite this, no shark attacks have ever been reported in the country. These results highlight the need to: (i) encourage sustainable shark meat consumption, and (ii) promote communication campaigns aimed at increasing knowledge about sharks, and their importance as a source of employment and food for coastal communities, as for the national economy.

对鲨鱼的误解、知识匮乏与负面态度，成为阻碍人们采取必要行动以应对鲨鱼种群面临威胁的关键障碍，进而制约了全球鲨鱼保护行动的成效。秘鲁作为鲨鱼产品国际贸易的重要参与国，近日批准了《鲨鱼、鳐鱼与银鲛国家保护和管理行动计划》（National Action Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras，简称PAN-Tib），该文件是针对此类鱼类开展保护行动的指导性纲领。在PAN-Tib中，评估秘鲁民众当前对鲨鱼的认知与态度被列为研究优先事项。2016年6月至10月期间，研究团队沿秘鲁海岸对2004名民众开展了问卷调查，以刻画其（1）鲨鱼肉消费模式，以及（2）对鲨鱼的认知与态度。调查结果显示，秘鲁民众存在鲨鱼肉消费行为，但消费频率未必较高，且该国北部地区的鲨鱼肉消费更为普遍。然而，77.5%的鲨鱼肉消费者并未意识到自己食用过鲨鱼肉。尽管57.6%的受访者知晓秘鲁海域存在鲨鱼，但仅有19.4%的被调查者能够说出至少一种本地鲨鱼物种的名称。此外，秘鲁民众对鲨鱼持有极强的负面态度：他们畏惧鲨鱼，并将其视为食人猛兽，但秘鲁境内从未有过鲨鱼袭击人类的相关报道。上述研究结果凸显了两项必要性：（1）倡导可持续的鲨鱼肉消费模式；（2）开展宣传推广活动，以提升民众对鲨鱼的认知，以及鲨鱼作为沿海社区就业与食物来源乃至国家经济重要组成部分的价值。