Are sharks really the monsters we’ve been taught to fear — or the ocean’s misunderstood guardians?
In this episode, Mark Lynas sits down with Arzucan “Zuzu” Askin, National Geographic Explorer, conservation scientist, and co-founder of Miyaru NGO, to take on Bad Idea #28: “Jaws - aka sharks are scary”
From diving daily with tiger sharks in the Maldives to pioneering the world’s first free-swimming shark ultrasounds, Zuzu shares what it’s really like to live and work among these ancient predators — and why our fear of them is one of conservation’s biggest barriers.
🧠 Topics Discussed:
● 🦈 The myth of the “man-eater”: why sharks aren’t scary, they’re essential
● 🎬 Jaws and how a single movie reshaped global shark perceptions
●🏝️ How the Maldives became the “Galápagos of the Indian Ocean” for sharks
● 🌊 The 2010 Maldives shark sanctuary — and how it saved populations
● 🤰 “Mama Shark”: the world’s first free-swimming ultrasound scans of tiger sharks
● 👩🔬 Shark pregnancies and live births — motherhood in the deep
● ⚖️ The fight to stop the return of shark fishing in the Maldives
● 🧴 Hidden sharks: in cosmetics, pet food, and even vaccines
● 🧠 How sharks inspire biomedical and design innovation
● 🐋 Collaborating with Dr. Sylvia Earle and Tongan scientists on whale research
● 🧩 What individuals can do to protect sharks — from banning fins to consumer choices
👩🏫 Guest Bio:
Arzucan “Zuzu” Askin is a conservation scientist, diver, and National Geographic Explorer based in the Maldives. She co-founded Miyaru NGO, the country’s first national-level shark conservation organisation, dedicated to protecting predatory shark species through research, education, and community engagement. Zuzu led the groundbreaking “Mama Shark” project, conducting the world’s first free-swimming ultrasounds on tiger sharks to study reproduction. She has worked with National Geographic, the Maldives Ocean Alliance, and partnered with researchers like Dr. Sylvia Earle to advance ocean science and storytelling.
📚 Recommended Reading & Resources:
● 🌐 Miyaru NGO – https://miyaru.org/
● 📄 Ultrasound Scanning of Free-Swimming Tiger Sharks – Frontiers in Marine Science (2023) – https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1500176/full
● 🐋 Mission Blue – https://missionblue.org/
● 🧬 Blue Marine Foundation – https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/
● 🌊 Maldives Resilient Reefs – https://maldivesresilientreefs.com/
● ✍️ Petition to Save the Maldives Shark Sanctuary – https://only.one/act/maldives-sharks
● 🎥 Jaws (1975) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)
● 🧴 Hidden Shark Ingredients – https://sharkallies.com/blogs/shark-allies-news/squalene
● 🧠 Sylvia Earle – https://missionblue.org/team/dr-sylvia-earle/
● 🐳 Humpback Whale Research Project (Tonga) – https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237530779_Humpback_Whales_in_Tonga_An_Economic_Resource_for_Tourism
💬 Quote Highlights:
“A lion would never let you do what a tiger shark lets you do underwater.” — Arzucan “Zuzu” Askin
“When you show a shark as a mother, not a monster, people see them differently.”
“Sharks are older than trees — and we’ve managed to wipe out most of them in a century.”
“Europe is still one of the biggest exporters of shark fins and meat. That has to stop.”
“If you’ve used sunscreen, cosmetics, or pet food today, you might have already used shark.” “An ultrasound image of a pregnant tiger shark — that’s conservation storytelling at its best.”
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WePlanet is a global citizen and science movement challenging bad ideas and championing evidence-based solutions for climate, nature, and human development. Learn more at https://weplanet.org
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