Across the Pacific, myths and legends are passed down through oral tradition. While different variations of Dakuwaqa’s tales exist, many provide lessons on coexistence between humans and the natural environment. Tonga also has a similar account of a shark god called Takuaka, which shares common themes and lessons about humility and reciprocity also found in Fiji’s stories about Dakuwaqa. To learn more about Pacific mythology, you are invited to read Cliff Benson’s book, Pacific Folk Tales, and listen to the Legends From the Pacific podcast.

Sharks play a key role in maintaining the health of marine life in the ocean, including populations of commercially important fish species. Unlike other fish, sharks grow slowly, mature late, and produce few young over the course of their long lives. This puts them at high risk of overexploitation and makes them slow to recover from depletion. Many shark populations are threatened by commercial fisheries, targeted for their valuable fins, and incidentally caught as bycatch. It is now up to our generation to ensure sharks live on, and not just through our stories. To learn more about recovery efforts, please read how the Pacific islands have played a key role in shark conservation, the Guardian’s article on Fiji’s collaborative conservation work, and Dr. David Shiffman’s book Why Sharks Matter.  

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