Any DeHart Spokesman For Sharks - NBC Today

Andy DeHart is the director of biological programs for the National Aquarium, Washington, D.C., as well as Discovery Channel shark adviser. As such we have been rather dubious of Andy's shark motivations after seeing him on Shark Week for a few seasons pitching what amounted to an ongoing and horrific shark attack blood fest in 2009.

But as they say, "you don't know a fellow until you have seen him on NBC's Today Show," at least that's what someone said in our office this morning.

Responding to a recent shark attack and unfortunate death in the Seychelles this week Andy offers up a well balanced, truly fact based assessment of shark and human interactions without the usual strong armed attempts to recast sharks as anything else but what they are, predators.

If you're looking for talking points about sharks, shark attacks, and counter points to the medias persistent bias and 1970's view on sharks, watch this mornings interview, it's about as good as it gets.

Saving sharks at the expense of fishermen

We're huge fans of shark biologist Andy DeHart-he's got a way of drilling down to the issue at hand in a way everyone can understand:

“We’re taking sharks out of the water faster than we are putting them back in,” said Andy Dehart, a shark biologist who works with the National Aquarium in Washington.

Sharks are a vital part of the ocean’s eco system because they are an apex predator.

“An apex predator is key in maintaining balance,” said Ray Owczarzak, an assistant curator at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. “They eliminate the weakest population of fish so the biggest and strongest are the breeding animals.”

Without sharks, the ocean would be out of whack: In North American Atlantic water, Hammerhead Sharks eat Cownose Rays, which feed on Bay Scallops. If there are no sharks, the ray population explodes and eats the scallops, leaving fewer scallops for people to eat.