Movies have long influenced the way people view the word, but few films have had such an impact as Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film “Jaws” in 1975.
It has been 50 years since the film’s release, and the movie continues to fuel the public’s opinion on these “man-eaters.”After the release, beach towns reported drops in tourism, the amount of people who went into the ocean, but an increase in tournaments to hunt sharks.
“It was estimated that nearly ⅓ of Americans went to see ‘Jaws’. They [scientists] believe ‘Jaws’ caused an entire generation to develop an irrational fear of sharks. They dubbed it ‘the Jaws Effect.’… I’ve seen reports that this movie is adversely affecting coastal economies,” Roy Scheider, the star of “Jaws”, said, according to Screen Rant.
In reality, shark attacks are very rare and only a couple dozen attacks occur each year. Most of the encounters are caused by a shark who mistakes swimmers or surfers for their regular prey. Surfboards resemble the outline of seals, and excessive splashes from beach goers can cause sharks to become confused in the rare times they attack.
“The chances of being bitten by a shark are very small (1:3.7 million) compared to other animal encounters, natural disasters, and ocean-side dangers. Many more people drown in the ocean every year than are bitten by sharks,” Douglas Jones said, according to The Florida Museum Of Natural History
The real threat actually goes in the opposite direction. Humans kill around 80 million sharks annually to remove their fins and discard their bodies left in the ocean. The sharks are typically still alive when thrown back in, but sink to the bottom and are left to die due to their inability to swim properly. Shark fin soup is a popular delicacy made from shark fins, broth, and vegetables in Asia, particularly in China. Due to the high demand in these countries, shark deaths have reached an all time high.
“Our data from 2012 to 2019 reveal shark deaths from fishing increased from 76 million to 80 million per year. We stress that more action is needed to save the sharks including the threatened species.” Dr. Melissa Hobson said, according to National Geographic.
Despite the facts, the fear remains strong. The influence of “Jaws” and other media platforms depict sharks as these massive, vengeful creatures who wait just offshore to claim their next victims. But in reality, sharks are killed in massively high numbers by humans rather than the way the media depicts it.
“Anything that’s big enough to kill me without even trying is terrifying. Watching ‘Jaws’ just makes me realize how fast something like that could happen,” Ariana Suffoletto ‘28 said.
Many countries have begun to put laws in act to ban the removal of shark fins, but millions are killed a year, yet the fear of these creatures only grows.
