A gulper shark brought up from the ocean depths off Bermuda lies out of water in an undated photo.
Photo credit: National Geographic

There are at least a dozen species of sharks found off the coast of New Jersey. Jaws, based on the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, entered sharks into American popular culture and depicted them as "man-eaters".  Although there are some aggressive species, most sharks are not "man-eaters" and some actually help protect people. Sharks have high concentrations of squalene in their liver. This oil is commonly used in many beauty products, such as skin creams, and is now being used to make H1N1 (Swine Flu) vaccines. The harvesting of squalene is endangering many species of sharks, especially the deepwater Gulper, which has extremely low reproductive rates and is already threatened.