Film-maker Steven Spielberg has said he truly regrets the “decimation of the shark population” following the success of his 1975 film “Jaws”.
Spielberg’s Oscar-winning thriller told the story of a man-eating great white shark that attacked a US seaside town, prompting a rise in sports fishing across America.
“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, 75, told BBC Radio’s Desert Island Discs programme.
Researchers have blamed films such as “Jaws” for playing a role in the public’s perception of sharks, driving support for killing them.
Others, however, argue that this attributes too much significance to the influence of Hollywood.
Spielberg, who is also known for Hollywood blockbusters including ET, Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, chose the 10 records he would take if he was stranded on a desert island in the Sunday broadcast.
‘It was a tightrope’
Asked by presenter Lauren Laverne how he felt about having real sharks circling his desert island, he said: “That’s one of the things I still fear.
“Not to get eaten by a shark, but that sharks are somehow mad at me for the feeding frenzy of crazy sports fishermen that happened after 1975.”
Spielberg also discussed his successful directing career, including his latest project — semi-autobiographical film “The Fabelmans”.
Spielberg’s latest film tells the mostly true story of his own childhood and introduction to film-making in post-war America.
