British-South African Lewis Pugh was the first person to swim across the North Pole and complete an endurance swim in every ocean of the world. Now, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the iconic film “Jaws,” he is in the midst of swimming the 60-mile circumference of Martha’s Vineyard in an effort to reshape the public’s perception of sharks.
His swim around the Island is a call to action for ocean conservation, urging a new generation to view sharks not as monsters but as vital harbingers of a healthy sea.
“I’m frightened of sharks,” Pugh said in a statement shared with the Times. “But I’m more terrified of a world without them, and that’s what we’re looking at if we don’t act now. Without sharks to keep them in balance, marine ecosystems are unraveling at frightening speed.
“We need a new narrative about these magnificent animals because the one we’ve been hearing for the past 50 years threatens our oceans,” he said.
The timing of the swim is no coincidence. Following the release of “Jaws” 50 years ago, there’s been a fear-driven narrative of sharks all over the world. It also comes with the first shark sighting in regional waters for the year. An Atlantic white shark was spotted near Nantucket last week.
Pugh will be swimming around the Island a little every day, for a total of 11 days. He set out on the swim on Thursday near Edgartown Light House.
Pugh is taking precautions. He will have a magnetic field deployed under a boat that will follow him on his journey to deter sharks from getting too curious. A kayaker will also accompany him for better underwater surveillance.
According to the Lewis Pugh Foundation, shark populations have plummeted by approximately 70 percent worldwide since 1970 due to overfishing and habitat destruction. An estimated 100 million sharks are killed annually – 274,000 daily average – for their fins, meat, oil, and sport.
According to a press release from the Foundation, the result is not only species loss, but also ecological collapse, with devastating consequences for ocean health and global food security.
“Sharks are integral to ocean health, and ocean health is integral to human survival,” Pugh said. “This is not just about future generations. We must learn to respect and protect sharks today, and this will be my key message.”
Conservation efforts in Massachusetts have led to the recovery of great white shark populations, especially around Cape Cod. This is in large part to the Marine Species Act and the return of a main food source for sharks, seals. However, globally sharks remain under significant threat.
Pugh has a history of using his feats for environmental advocacy. Most recently, in 2023, Pugh swam 315-miles through the Hudson River to praise its clean-up and highlight how rivers affect ocean health. His other notable swims include being the first person to swim 1 kilometer across the North Pole in 2007, the entire 328-mile length of the English Channel in 2018, the 217-mile River Thames in 2006, and a river beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet, in 2020.
“When we damage the environment, we create conditions that are ripe for conflict,” Pugh says. “But when we protect the environment, we foster peace. For centuries we have not only been fighting over the environment, we have been fighting against it. We must learn to make peace with nature for the sake of future generations.”
