The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Discovery Channel’s Shark Week is marking its 25th season as the Megalodon of cable programming — a legendary fish tale of epic proportions told to a global audience of 30 million viewers.

This year, The Nature Conservancy’s own Kydd Pollock, a marine specialist who spends much of his time working in the pristine waters of Palmyra Atoll, is part of the story. Kydd’s 2010 encounter with a reef shark while working at Palmyra Atoll is profiled in the Shark Week segment, Shark Fight, scheduled to air August 15.

But, as he’ll tell you, Kydd’s is not a tale about a shark attack. It’s about saving the shark the bit him.

Despite their sinister casting, sharks have more to fear from humans than we do from them. In fact, the risk of being bitten by a shark is incredibly small, according to the International Shark Attack File:

• Shark bites reported worldwide in 2011: 75
• Shark bite fatalities reported worldwide in 2011: 12
• Sharks killed by humans in 2011: 30-70 million

Join us as we dive into the world of sharks with photos and a series of blog posts from Kydd and other Conservancy staff about the value of sharks and the crucial role they play in supporting healthy reefs and fisheries around the world.

Jump in.