Spielberg Regrets 'Decimation' of Sharks After Jaws

Spielberg's hit movie Jaws is often criticized by eco-activists for misrepresenting sharks as vengeful and cruel creatures.

Acclaimed film director Steven Spielberg stated that he is afraid that the sharks are “mad” at him “for the feeding frenzy of crazy sports fishermen that happened after 1975," when Jaws came out.

"I truly and to this day regret the decimation of the shark population because of the book and the film. I really, truly regret that," Spielberg added.

Jaws is a horror film by Spielberg about a man-eating great white shark based on a book by Peter Benchley.

Eco-activists have pointed out many times that the movie portrays sharks as vengeful creatures, with the film allegedly creating the impression that a shark can hold a grudge against particular people and chase them with intent to kill.

The author of the book, Peter Benchley, also stated that he was deeply sorry about false representation of the sharks.

"Knowing what I know now, I could never write that book today. Sharks don't target human beings, and they certainly don't hold grudges," he stated.

It is believed that the film triggered a hunting spree targeting sharks. According to the estimates of George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, the population of large sharks decreased by 50% along the eastern seaboard of North America in the years after the release of the movie. According to other estimates, the population of great white sharks declined 79% in Northwest Atlantic Ocean between years 1986 and 2000.

Experts, however, point out that the decline cannot be attributed to sports fishing alone. Sharks are highly sought by commercial fishers – for instance, because of shark fin soup, which is extremely popular in Asia.