When Peter Benchley wrote "Jaws," when Steven Spielberg turned it into a film more than 34 years ago, and when those of us who acted in it helped create the first summer blockbuster, nobody imagined the unintended consequences that would follow. "Jaws" intensified the public’s already existing fear of sharks, fueling misperceptions that have given cover to an industry which kills vast numbers of these magnificent creatures each year, thereby depleting a keystone predator that helps maintain the health of our oceans.
Although the movie held a kind of delightful terror for viewers, on average fewer than four annual fatal shark attacks have occurred worldwide since 2001, according to the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida. Conversely, up to 73 million sharks are killed annually by people.
Most sharks are killed for their fins, which can command up to $300 per pound in China and other parts of Asia, where they are used in soup and nutritional supplements. The remainder of the shark is of far less commercial value. As a result, millions of sharks are simply tossed back into the ocean, either dead or dying after their fins are removed. Some years ago, for example, a single fishing boat was seized carrying 32 tons of fins taken from an estimated 30,000 sharks.