William McKeever

Listen to "William McKeever Emperors Of The Deep" on Spreaker. Ocean conservationist, filmmaker and author William McKeever sends a call-to-action to save sharks. He dispels the Jaws myth of sharks as man-eaters in his new book Emperors of the Deep. McKeever claims that without the ocean's most important guardians, our seas will experience ecological disaster. In the new film, Emperors of the Deep, companion to the new book, Emperors of the Deep: Sharks-The Ocean's Most Mysterious, Most Misunderstood, and Most Important Guardians (July 2019; HarperOne, ISBN 978-0062932990, PRICE $25.99; Hardcover), author and Conservationist William McKeever is on a mission to change everyone's views of the mysterious creatures of the deep. The book takes readers on a pulse-pounding journey around the world and deep under the water's surface-from the frigid waters of the Arctic Circle to the coral reefs of the tropical Central Pacific-to dispel the narrative about sharks (from Jaws to "Shark Week,)" which claims they're terrifying underwater predators. McKeever says, "Sharks are unequivocally essential to maintaining a balanced ecosystem. When these important apex predators are removed from the ocean, the effect on reefs, seagrass and all the marine ecosystems is catastrophic for generations to come." Author William McKeever is a writer, a documentary filmmaker and the founder of the non-profit Safeguard the Seas, dedicated to ocean conservation. McKeever is the author of Emperors of the Deep, the producer and director of the forthcoming feature-length global documentary Emperors of the Deep-which has not been previously released-to further raise awareness. After McKeever saw a shark tournament, he was so incensed that he left his job in finance and now donates all of his time to ocean conservation and saving sharks. He embarked on a two-year journey around the world to write the book and produce the film because every year the plight of the shark is getting worse. Emperors of the Deep features the first female captains of Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior, the South African trackers of great whites, and the self-professed "last great shark hunter." The book includes interviews with world-renowned shark scientists who have examined the Mako, Tiger, Hammerhead, and Great White sharks. McKeever dispels the myth of sharks as man-eaters. Humans killed 100 million sharks last year while human fatalities from sharks were only 4 WORLDWIDE. Sharks are in trouble. An estimated 32 percent of open ocean sharks-including the scalloped hammerhead and whale shark-are currently threatened with extinction. Sharks are 450 million years old and have survived five extinction level events, including the one that killed off the dinosaurs. Shark fins sell for as much as $300 per pound to make soup. Around the world, consumers are eating more shark meat and using the sharks to make cosmetics. Shark tourism is a growing business. A single shark generates an estimated $100,000-$250,000 per year in revenues. Scientists have made exciting new discoveries about the over 500 species of sharks. For example, the Thresher shark kills with its tail, not its jaws. The Epaulette shark "walks" on top of coral reefs in search of prey during low tide. Sharks can dive 4,000 feet below the surface where water temperatures are barely above freezing, and the water pressure crushes most animals. Sharks have developed a sixth sense to detect electrical fields that they use to navigate thousands of miles or to bite prey with intricate precision. As apex predators, sharks are crucial to the ocean's health by maintaining reef and seagrass ecosystems. The Emperors of the Deep movie is being shown as an exclusive private screening and will be released to the general public in 2020.