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Shark Week
NetworkDiscovery Channel
LaunchedJuly 17, 1988 (1988-07-17)
OwnerWarner Bros. Discovery
FormatShark-based programming
Running timeAirs annually for an entire week in summer
Original language(s)English
Official websiteOfficial website

Shark Week is an annual, weeklong, shark-themed TV programming block at the Discovery Channel. Shark Week originally premiered on July 17, 1988. Featured annually, in July or early August, it was originally devoted to conservation efforts and correcting misconceptions about sharks.[1] Over time, it grew in popularity and became a hit on the Discovery Channel. Since 2010, it has been the longest-running cable television programming event in history.[2][3] Broadcast in over 72 countries, Shark Week is promoted heavily via social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Episodes are also available for purchase on services like Google Play Movies & TV/YouTube, Amazon Video, and iTunes. Some episodes are free on the subscription-based Hulu and Discovery+.

History

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The first Shark Week premiered in July 1988, with the first show to air being Caged in Fear. A total of 10 episodes aired. Other shows included Sharks: Predators or Prey, The Shark Takes a Siesta, and Sharks of a Different Color. Due to the success of the programming block, Discovery decided to continue it.

In 2000, Discovery Channel aired Shark Week Uncaged presented by famous zoologist Nigel Marven as a host. Six million 3D Pulfrich glasses were distributed to viewers in the United States and Canada for an episode featuring an extinct giant shark, which had 3D segments.[4]

Beginning in 2000, programming has been hosted by notable personalities from other Discovery series. In 2005, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of MythBusters hosted Shark Week, which premiered with a two-hour MythBusters "Jaws Special". In 2006, Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs hosted Shark Week, and two Dirty Jobs episodes were produced to tie-into the programming, titled "Jobs that Bite" and "Jobs that Bite...Harder". That year, a 446-foot-long (136 metres) inflatable great white shark named Chompie was hung from the Discovery Channel's Silver Spring, Maryland headquarters.[5]

In 2007, Discovery Channel celebrated Shark Week's 20th Anniversary hosted by Les Stroud, host of Survivorman. The 20th anniversary included the launch of Sharkrunners, a video game that uses GPS data from tagged sharks in the Pacific Ocean. The program Ocean of Fear aired on July 29.

In 2014, Deep Blue, a large great white shark estimated to be twenty feet long was featured in an episode of Shark Week; she was seen traversing the waters off the coast of Guadalupe Island.

In 2021, the events began streaming on Discovery+ alongside its broadcasts on the Discovery Channel.[6]

Shweekend

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In early 2015, Discovery announced a new, shark-themed weekend that would air on the Discovery Channel. The weekend took place in late August 2015, and contained three different programs. The first program, which aired on Saturday, August 29, was MythBusters vs. Jaws, followed right after by Shark Alley: Legend of Dynamite. The next day, Sunday, August 30, one program aired, called Air Jaws: Walking with Great Whites. The purpose of Shweekend was to increase the shark-related content from previous years and to prolong the summer's shark coverage.[7]

Criticism

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Since its early days, Shark Week evolved into more entertainment-oriented and sometimes fictional programming. By the 2010s, it attracted much criticism for airing dramatic programs to increase viewers and popularity. This fictitious programming, known as docufiction, has been produced in the last few years. Examples of such programs include Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives, Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine, Monster Hammerhead, Lair of the Mega Shark, and Megalodon: The New Evidence. This strategy was successful, especially for the program Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives, as it became one of the most watched programs in Shark Week history, primarily for the controversy and backlash it generated.[8] The mockumentary was based on an ancient giant shark called megalodon, which is now long extinct. The airing of this program fueled criticism by the professionals in the science blogger community, as well as science-advocacy bloggers like actor Wil Wheaton, and resulted in a boycott of the network.[9] Since then, Discovery has increasingly been accused of using junk science, pushing dubious theories, creating fake stories, and misleading scientists as to the nature of the documentaries being produced.[10][11] In early 2015, Discovery President Rich Ross vowed to remove this type of programming from future Shark Week lineups.[12]

There has also been criticism from scientists that have been featured in episodes of Shark Week. Jonathan Davis, a 29-year old marine biologist was featured in an episode of Shark Week called Voodoo Shark. The episode is meant to discuss the legend of the 'Rooken', and suggests that Davis strongly believes in said legend. Davis had believed he was being featured to talk about his research, but instead was blindsided by this portrayal. He also recounts that while filming, "One of the guys was like, "Oh, maybe you should just let it bite you, that would be so exciting.' And I was just thinking to myself, 'Are you kidding me? You really think I wanna let the shark bite me just for ratings? Are you serious?' "[13]

More criticism was leveled at Discovery in 2017 when the network heavily promoted a race between Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps and a great white shark that turned out to be computer generated, but based on actual speeds of such animals, and Phelps wearing illegal swim gear.[14]

Content analysis

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A 2022 study reviewed trends in the content covered by Shark Week. Of the 272 Shark Week programs produced, 43% had titles using words with negative connotations in context (such as "attack", "fear", "deadly"). The relative proportion of in-context negative titles is stable through time, rising at the same rate as the overall number of shows. Of the 201 shows that could be viewed by the authors, around 74% referenced shark bites or other negative portrayals of sharks. 63% of shows used positive language in reference to sharks, though this language was often only used briefly.[15]

About 37% of shows are research-oriented, though in some years (2009–2012, 2020) less than a quarter of shows involved research. Research methods are skewed towards expensive and television-friendly techniques such as satellite telemetry tagging, drones, and ROVs. In contrast, actual shark science is oriented more towards methodical research related to life history and reproduction, which are more practical for conservation work. Uncertainty and repeatability are frequently eschewed in presentation, in favor of controversy or authoritative results. Of the people labelled as "experts" or authorities by Shark Week programs, 41% have over 26 peer-reviewed publications, while 23% lack any contribution to the scientific literature. Little distinction is made between experiential (non-scientific) and scientific experts.[15]

The demographics of Shark Week "experts" mirrors the underrepresentation of women and people of color in STEM fields. 94% of "experts" featured by Shark Week are white, and 79% are male. 24 shows featured at least one non-white "expert" and 60 involved at least one woman "expert". Several non-doctorate men were referred to as "Dr.", and several doctorate-holding women were not labelled with their title. The most commonly featured country is the United States (24.2% of episodes, with California, Florida, Hawaii, and Massachusetts as the predominant states), followed by the Bahamas (15%), South Africa (15%), New Zealand (10%), Australia (10%), and Mexico (10%). Black researchers are rarely featured despite the fact that both the Bahamas and South Africa are majority-black countries.[15]

79 living species of sharks have been featured in Shark Week, along with several species of batoids (rays and kin), chimaeras, and extinct forms. The most common species to be featured are great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias, 18.4% of episodes), tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier, 12.2%), bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas, 9.6%), and hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae, 8.4%). Some species with extensive scientific literature are rarely featured, such as bonnetheads (Sphyrna tiburo), sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus), and the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias). Threats to sharks are alluded to by a majority (53%) of shows, with 14% mentioning the fin trade, though only 3% identify particular measures that viewers could take towards shark conservation. No Shark Week shows have recommended government action or donations to shark conservation groups.[15]

Programming information

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Year Dates Host Additional information
1988 No host
1989 No host
1990 No host
1991 No host
1992 No host
1993 No host
1994 Peter Benchley[16]
1995 No host
1996 No host
1997 No host
1998 No host
1999 No host
2000 Nigel Marven[17]
2001 Nigel Marven[18]
2002 Nigel Marven[19]
2003 No host
2004 The cast of American Chopper[20]
2005 Adam Savage, Jamie Hyneman[21]
2006 Mike Rowe[22]
2007 Les Stroud[23]
2008 July 27 — August 2 Jamie Hyneman, Adam Savage, Mike Rowe[24] Both a new MythBusters shark special and a shark-themed episode of Dirty Jobs premiered for the event.
2009 August 2 — August 8 Les Stroud[25] The season premiered with Blood in the Water, a recreation of the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916.
2010 August 1 — August 7 Craig Ferguson[26] The programming block featured six brand-new shark specials.[27] It was advertised by the second appearance of the giant inflatable shark attached to the Discovery Channel building nicknamed "Chompie".[5] Shark Week 2010 was rated the most viewed Shark Week ever with 30.8 million unique viewers.[28] Shark Week is now the longest-running program event on cable.[29]
2011 July 31 — August 6 Andy Samberg[30] Programming featured seven specials.[27]
2012 August 12 — August 18 Philip DeFranco[31] "Chompie", the 446-foot-long, great white shark, was once again hung on the Discovery Channel headquarters building.[5] To honor the series' 25th anniversary, viewers were encouraged to vote via Twitter or Facebook on which item a mechanical megalodon shark would crush with its hydraulic jaws in the "Shark Week Chompdown".[32]
2013 August 4 — August 10[33][34] Josh Wolf[35] The event began with Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives, a fictitious documentary-style film which hypothesized the megalodon shark existing in present times.[36] A marketing campaign for the event launched during Discovery's Skywire Live, featuring a newscast covering the return of "Snuffy The Seal" to the ocean, only to see a shark jump out and devour the seal on camera (carrying the slogan "It's a bad week to be a seal").[37][38] An aftershow—Shark After Dark Live—was also introduced, hosted by Josh Wolf.[39]
2014 August 10 — August 16 Josh Wolf[40] The programming block featured fourteen programs, including five Shark After Dark LIVE episodes shown for the first five days after two new programs each night.
2015 July 5 — July 12[41] Eli Roth[42] The block lasted eight days,[41] and consisted of 14 new episodes,[43] including a special titled Shark Week Sharktacular that premiered on June 23. It highlighted the best moments in Shark Week history, and previewed Shark Week 2015.[44] Also, eight special "Sharkopedia Edition" episodes aired.[45] For the third year in a row, five Shark After Dark LIVE episodes hosted by will premiere on the first five nights.[42]
2016 June 26 — July 2 Eli Roth
2017 July 23 — July 29 Eli Roth To celebrate its 29th anniversary, selected U.S. theaters, beginning July 18, showed a "best of" episode from 2016 while also debuting a new 2017 special.[46]
2018 July 22 — July 28 Shaquille O'Neal To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Shark Week created a limited edition Shark Week Box for dedicated fans to complement the Shark Week Experience.[47]
2019 July 28 — August 4 Rob Riggle
2020 August 9 — August 16 Josh Gates
2021 July 11 — July 18 Josh Gates
2022 July 24 — July 30 Dwayne Johnson[48] All Elite Wrestling, whose Dynamite and Rampage shows air on Warner Bros. Discovery-owned channels, participated in Shark Week with a shark cage-themed match; their Fight for the Fallen event benefited ocean wildlife charities.
2023 Jason Momoa[49]
2024 July 7 — July 13 John Cena[50]


Home media

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Shark Week DVD and Blu-ray releases
Title Release
date 		Format(s) No. of
episodes 		Contents
Air Jaws / Air Jaws II 2002 DVD 1 Includes two episodes.
Anatomy of a Shark Bite 2005 DVD 1 Includes the title episode (2003) and "Future Shark" (2000).
Great White Shark: Uncaged 2007 DVD 1 Single episode.
Shark Week: 20th Anniversary Collection 2007 4×DVD 14 Various Shark Week episodes.
Discovery Channel: Shark DVD Set 2007 3×DVD 6 Includes six episodes (2003–2005).[51]
Shark Week: Ocean of Fear 2008 2×DVD 6 The complete 2007 season, the 20th season, including Ocean of Fear.
Shark Week: The Great Bites Collection 2009 2×DVD 9 The complete 2008 season, plus three bonus episodes.
Blu-ray
Shark After Dark 2010 DVD 1 Single episode; not to be confused with Shark After Dark LIVE.
Shark Week: Jaws of Steel Collection 2010 2×DVD 8 The complete 2009 season, the 22nd season, plus two bonus episodes.[52] Includes the two-hour docudrama Blood in the Water, which was the season premiere of the 22nd season.
2×Blu-ray
Shark Week: Favorites 2011 2×DVD 5 Various Shark Week episodes
Shark Week: Restless Fury 2011 2×DVD 8 The complete 2010 season.
2×Blu-ray
Shark Week: 25th Anniversary Collection 2012 DVD 4 Includes four popular episodes from recent seasons.
Blu-ray
Shark Week: Fins of Fury 2013 2×DVD 6 The complete 2011 season.
2×Blu-ray
Shark Week: Predator of the Deep 2014 DVD 5 The complete 2012 season.
Shark Week: Dominating the Deep 2015 3×DVD 13 The complete 2013 season.
Shark Week: Jawsome Encounters 2016 3×DVD 13 The complete 2014 season.
Shark Week: Shark 'n' Awe! Collection 2017 6×DVD 32 The complete 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Shark Week: Sharktacular Adventures 2017 3×DVD 15 The complete 2017 season.
Shark Week: 30 Years of Jaw-Dropping Discovery 2018 Blu-ray + 2×DVD 10 Includes five recent episodes on Blu-ray and DVD, and five "vintage" episodes on DVD only.
MythBusters: Jaws Special Un­known DVD 1 MythBusters Shark Week special; includes unaired mini-myths.

See also

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References

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General references

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  • "Shark Week years". Discovery Channel (Canada). Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.

Inline citations

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  1. ^ Cohen, Matt (August 14, 2014). "The history of Shark Week". The Week. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  2. ^ Swenson, Kyle (March 26, 2018) "Stormy Daniels, Donald Trump and 'Shark Week': 'He made me sit and watch'" Archived July 28, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. The Washington Post.
  3. ^ Fetters, Ashley (August 13, 2012). "The Evolution of Shark Week, Pop-Culture Leviathan". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  4. ^ Bartless Manufacturer “swims with sharks” in Upcoming 3D Television Event Archived November 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, 3dglassesonline.com, August 11, 2000.
  5. ^ a b c "Return of "Chompie" In Silver Spring Building Marks 25th Anniversary of Shark Week". July 31, 2012. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  6. ^ "Discovery's Shark Week 2021 Swims off with Jawsome Lineup Featuring More Hours of Shark Programming Than Ever Before".
  7. ^ Andy Dehnart (August 28, 2015). "The first-ever Shweekend arrives, but how did Shark Week do?". Reality Blurred. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  8. ^ Black, Riley (August 9, 2013). "It Came From Basic Cable". National Geographic. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  9. ^ Welsh, Jennifer. "People Are Boycotting Shark Week Because Of A Fake Documentary About A Giant Shark". Business Insider. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  10. ^ "When Wildlife Documentaries Jump the Shark". NPR. August 30, 2014. Archived from the original on March 12, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  11. ^ Grant, Bob. "Shark Week Veers Into Fiction . . . Again". The-Scientist.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  12. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (January 8, 2015). "Fake Stuff Out At Discovery Channel, Promises New Chief Rich Ross: TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  13. ^ Ulaby, Neda (July 6, 2015). "After Sketchy Science, Shark Week Promises To Turn Over A New Fin". NPR. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  14. ^ Lutz, Tom (July 24, 2017). "Viewers angry after Michael Phelps loses race to computer-generated shark". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  15. ^ a b c d Whitenack, Lisa B.; Mickley, Brady L.; Saltzman, Julia; Kajiura, Stephen M.; Macdonald, Catherine C.; Shiffman, David S. (November 3, 2022). "A content analysis of 32 years of Shark Week documentaries". PLOS ONE. 17 (11): e0256842. Bibcode:2022PLoSO..1756842W. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0256842. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 9632781. PMID 36327262.
  16. ^ Zad, Martie. "Discovery's 'Shark Week' Features Three World Premieres". washingtonpost.com. WP, LLC. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  17. ^ Kelleher, Terry. "Picks and Pans Review: Giants: Sharks". people.com. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  18. ^ "How Big a Threat Are Sharks?". cnn.com. Cable News Network (CNN). Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  19. ^ Liebensen, Donald (August 11, 2002). "6 new documentaries join 15th 'Shark Week' lineup". chicagotribune.com. Tribune Interactive. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  20. ^ Schaefer, Megan (July 14, 2014). "'Shark Week' 2014: Take A Bite Out Of These 12 Facts That You Probably Didn't Know About The Discovery Channel Ser". ibtimes.com. IB Times, LLC. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  21. ^ Kaplan, Don (July 17, 2005). "Shark Week – Biting Festival Returns for 18th Year". nypost.com. NYP Holdings, Inc. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  22. ^ O'Hare, Kate (July 28, 2006). "Rowe explores dirty secrets of 'Shark Week'". mtstandard.com. The Montana Standard. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  23. ^ Bierly, Mandy. "The PopWatch Interview: 'Shark Week' host Les Stroud". ew.com. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  24. ^ Blas, Lorena. "Shark Week encounters through the years". usatoday.com. Gannett. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  25. ^ "Shark Week Is Back... And Its Got Bite! Shark Week 2009 Schedule Released". underwatertimes.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  26. ^ Bettinger, Brendan (June 15, 2010). "Craig Ferguson Will Host Shark Week Starting August 1". collider.com. Collider Cryptomedia, Inc. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  27. ^ a b "Shark Week: TV Shows". Discovery Channel. Archived from the original on September 22, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
  28. ^ Walker, Hunter (August 10, 2010). "Discovery's 'Shark Week' Sets Ratings Record". thewrap.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  29. ^ "Discovery Channel's 23rd Annual 'Shark Week' Is Most-Watched Ever; Seen by 30.8 Million People". TV by the Numbers. August 10, 2010. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
  30. ^ Nededog, Jethro (August 4, 2011). "'Shark Week' Exclusive: Attack of the Andy Samberg (Video)". hollywoodreporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  31. ^ "Philip DeFranco + 'Shark Week' = Jawsome". Discovery.com. Discovery, Inc. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  32. ^ "25th Anniversary of 'Shark Week Week' to Premiere Sunday August 12 on Discovery". TV by the Numbers. June 27, 2012. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  33. ^ "Discovery Channel's post on Vine". Vine. Archived from the original on July 12, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  34. ^ "'Shark Week' Returns to Discovery Channel August 4 With the Most Hours of Shark Programming Ever". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 14, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  35. ^ "Shark Week 2013 TV Shows" Archived March 12, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. Discovery. 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  36. ^ Rich Juzwiak. "Shark Week Opens with Fake Megalodon Documentary". Gawker. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013.
  37. ^ "Discovery's New 'Shark Week' Ad: Offensive or Funny? (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. June 27, 2013. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  38. ^ "Poor Snuffy the Seal is mauled by a Great White in Discovery Channel's Shark Week advert". The Drum. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  39. ^ Yahr, Emily (August 9, 2013). "After the show is the after-show — TV networks look to capitalize on biggest hits". Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 3, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  40. ^ "Shark Week 2014". Press.discovery.com. Discovery Communications, Inc. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  41. ^ a b Levin, Gary (January 29, 2015). "Shark Week bites earlier in 2015". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  42. ^ a b de Moraes, Lisa (June 2, 2015). "Eli Roth To Host Shark Week's Late Night 'Shark After Dark'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  43. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 16, 2015). "Discovery Channel Announces 'Shark Week' 2015 Schedule". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  44. ^ Reyes, Traciy (June 23, 2015). "'Sharktacular': Discovery Channel Thrills Fans With A Sneak Peak[sic] Of Shark Week July 2015". Inquisitr. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  45. ^ "Listings for 'Sharkopedia'". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  46. ^ "Shark Week 2017 to Premiere in Theaters". March 30, 2017. Archived from the original on April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  47. ^ "Shark Week Box". Archived from the original on April 14, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  48. ^ Garvey, Marianne. "'Shark Week' lineup to feature Dwayne Johnson as host". amp.cnn.com. CNN Interactive Group, Inc. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  49. ^ Bell, BreAnna (May 17, 2023). "Jason Momoa Joins Discovery Channel's Shark Week as Master of Ceremonies". Variety. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  50. ^ Stenzel, Wesley (July 7, 2024). "Shark Week 2024 hosted by John Cena: How to watch and what to know". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  51. ^ "Shark DVD set". Eastern Illinois University Booth Library. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  52. ^ "Shark Week: Jaws of Steel Collection". Amazon. July 13, 2010. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
[edit]
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