Hollywood Responses to Animal Politics: How the fictional identity of sharks influences the reality of policy solutions following shark attacks.

Public policy responses to shark attacks have recently mirrored Hollywood scripts to a unique degree. Multiple shark bite incidents in Western Australia and the Seychelles in 2011 were labelled the work of individual “rogue” sharks by the Governments and shark hunts to kill “the shark”, akin to the motion picture Jaws, were begun. This paper compares the discourse used in these two policy decisions with leading media myths that construct shark identities. Through a qualitative analysis of Government texts, statements and media I review the connections between debates and solutions following real-life human-shark tragedies and the fictional human-shark narratives. Literature on “moral panics” and “problem definition” development are used to highlight this relationship. In all, this frame analysis highlights the way in which shark attack discourse is political discourse that can amplify public sensitivities to risk and define the limited rights of sharks based on familiar but outdated myths.