ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Dark Waters: Constructing Aquatic Predators in Science and Culture

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

English Abstract

Historians have extensively documented how Western societies long vilified terrestrial apex predators—wolves, bears, big cats, and others—as threats to be eradicated, and how 20th-century science reframed these species as ecologically vital. This roundtable shifts the focus to aquatic apex predators—sharks, killer whales, and crocodilians—whose scientific and cultural histories remain far less examined. It asks how complex and conflicting beliefs regarding these purported man-eaters have not only shaped public attitudes, but also influenced scientific inquiry and conservation approaches.

*Janet M. Davis explores the experiences of Nantucket whaling crews, who constitute an important body of lay knowledge about sharks during the 18th and 19th centuries.
*Jason Colby examines the observations and reactions of whalers to orca predation on marine mammals, especially gray whales, in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
*Michaela Thompson analyzes new technologies and policies directed towards white sharks on Cape Cod following highly publicized 21st-century attacks.
*Mark Barrow considers how a series of mid-20th-century alligator attacks in Florida challenged scientific consensus about the reptile’s behavior and spurred the creation of the state’s Nuisance Alligator Program.
*Simon Pooley investigates how recovering crocodile populations since the 1970s have created difficulties for conservationists, handled by advocating sustainable use. This approach is problematic in places like East Timor and India, where crocodiles are culturally revered.

By tracing these intertwined histories, this roundtable illuminates the complex interplay between fear, fascination, and the production of scientific knowledge.

Sub Unit

• Roundtable

Chair

• Mark V. Barrow, Virginia Tech

Participants

• Janet M Davis, University of Texas at Austin

• Jason Colby, University of Victoria

• Michaela Jane Thompson, Harvard University

• Mark V. Barrow, Virginia Tech

• Simon Pooley, Birkbeck, University of London

Session Organizer

• Mark V. Barrow, Virginia Tech