All attempts to create a tool to scare away sharks have failed. This was said by Alexander Kasumyan, a scientist from Moscow State University specializing in the study of fish.
When a shark smells blood and gets hungry, it becomes indifferent to all the repellants we try to use. Even if you put something fear-inducing in front of it, it’s ready to eat it. The USA has done a lot of research to protect naval pilots who may fall into the water after World War II. They tried various irritants and poisons and even remembered the old myth that sharks don’t like the smell of black people. But nothing worked, said the scientist.
Kasumyan says that sharks do not really like the smell of rotting flesh of other sharks, but even this smell cannot really frighten a hungry shark. There is only one remedy in nature that is effective against sharks – it is secreted by the fish Pardachirus marmoratus, which looks like flounder. But scientists did not manage to create an artificial analogue of this substance, they could not even isolate the active ingredient from the secret of these fish.
Scientists suggest that the active substance is a very complex and high molecular weight protein, possibly consisting of twenty amino acids. Kasumyan explained that its structure may resemble bee venom and its effect is similar to surfactants found in laundry detergents.
The most reliable protection for people swimming in the sea from sharks and other marine predators is the usual net or grid that surrounds the lagoon.
Source: Ferra
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