JAWS? Meh. A chemical shark repellent 鈥� made from the rotten extract of their kin 鈥� can send the animals packing.
SharkDefense of New Jersey carried out a series of tests over five years that involved throwing open aerosol cans of the repellent into the water near feeding blacknose or Caribbean reef sharks off the coast of Bimini in the Bahamas. The sharks disappeared within a minute and stayed away for 10 minutes or more. Aerosols containing water, ethanol or other control substances had no effect (, ).
鈥淲e repeated the test year after year,鈥� says company founder Eric Stroud. He developed the repellent, an extract of rotten shark, after hearing sailors鈥� tales about dead sharks repelling live ones. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the first published evidence that sharks are chemically aware of their dead,鈥� he says. Why isn鈥檛 clear but some other animals, including termites and cockroaches, are also repelled by the smell of their dead.
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The aerosol cans, produced and sold under licence by , St Kitts and Nevis, won鈥檛 prevent surprise attacks on surfers and swimmers. But they should harmlessly repel sharks that are getting too close for comfort, for instance when a fishing boat鈥檚 catch is under threat.