Director Steven Spielberg Regrets The Impact Of 'Jaws' On Shark Population

Steven Spielberg, the director of the Oscar-winning film 'Jaws', has stated that he "truly regrets" the devastation of the shark population and fears that sharks are "mad" at him for "the feeding frenzy of crazy sword fishermen that happened after 1975", referring to his hit movie, as per a report in the BBC.

The 75-year-old director told BBC Radio's Desert Island Discs programme that the impact to the shark population is something "I truly and to this day regret", informing that the fear was not of being eaten.

The movie depicts a story of a man-eating great white shark that attacked a seaside town, prompting a rise in sports fishing across the United States. Throughout the film, the shark is portrayed as "bloodthirsty," merciless and a true threat to human life. Because of the film's popularity and longevity, this portrayal has become ingrained in the public's collective mind. Researchers have blamed it for shaping public perception of sharks and fueling support for shark slaughter.

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According to a 2021 study in the journal Nature, the world's population of oceanic sharks has fallen by 71 percent since the 1970s due to overfishing.The Shark Conservation Fund, meanwhile, says 36 percent of the world's 1,250 shark and ray species are currently threatened with extinction.

According to One Earth, over 51 percent of Americans are terrified of the species, with 38 percent refusing to swim in the ocean because of it. While films like 'Jaws', 'Open Water' and even 'Sharknado' perpetuate the myth that the animal is nothing more than a ferocious carnivore, great white sharks are fascinating and vital to the health of the entire planet. Great white sharks have a huge impact on their habitat as a keystone species, maintaining marine life populations that keep the oceans balanced.